


Friendly Favors

by joeyjwitter



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, I just need happy bellarke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-23
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-08 16:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3216206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joeyjwitter/pseuds/joeyjwitter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bellamy asks his coworker, Clarke for a favor. He needs her to pretend to be his girlfriend in order to get out of his sister’s plans to set him up with yet another girl over the Holidays. When Clarke agrees, Bellamy doesn’t realize how much he underestimated her and Clarke doesn’t realize how different he is outside of the bar. Can they master their plan? Or will all hell break loose?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Deal with the Devil

“I need a favor.”

Clarke looks up from the glass she’s cleaning to lock eyes with Bellamy who was towering over her like always. Her freshly trimmed eyebrows crease in confusion because the voice he uses is quiet and hesitant and it’s just _so_ unlike Bellamy. Also asking favors wasn’t really his style – though he did get her to play ‘wing man’ more times than she’d like to admit. A little over a year ago Clarke had applied as a waitress at ‘The Ark’ which was a well-known bar in town. When she was hired she was instantly introduced to a fellow worker, Bellamy. He had been wearing a tight white V-neck that made his bronze skin look even darker, she had thought it was just a tan at the time but several months later, his skin was still the same. Kane, their manager, had been the one to acquaint them. When Bellamy noticed her, he immediately put on a charming smile that she’d seen so veryoften directed at random girls who entered the bar.

At first Clarke didn’t particularly like Bellamy – in fact she might have actually _hated_ him. She just hated guys like _that_ in general. And by ‘that’ she means the ones who are obviously self-absorbed, think they can get anything or anyone they want with so much as a coy smirk, and seemed to be so indifferent when it came to anyone else. For Bellamy, he primarily looked at her as a challenge. The way she rolled her animated blue eyes or scowled at him whenever he used one of his ‘lines’ on her, made her all the more irresistible. Though that changed quickly when one night he had been flirting with a few girls who were exiting The Ark, when he closed the door behind him and made a quip about ‘finally being alone’ and how he wanted to take her home when she blew up on him.

She had given him the shouting of a lifetime, calling him all the names he’d already been familiar with. Pig, asshole, pervert, etc. Clarke even ended up jabbing him in the chest with her finger multiple times to get her point across. He was a mix of irritated and amused; he had to admit that he was very surprised at her boldness. He’d never been told off like he had been in that moment – from a petite blonde that had to be at least five years younger. She had stormed out after that and the next day, he had deliberately made the same remarks he used on his wannabe groupies on her but quickly claimed to be only joking – that had ended badly too. The two of them yelling at each other, her purposely knocking over drinks when she set them on the bar so he’d have to clean it up, Bellamy giving her the wrong orders so she’d receive absolutely no tips and some bellowing from the customers. That had gone on for days until Kane had ordered them to stop being so  
“damn immature”.

That’s when he had gotten the idea to make both Clarke and Bellamy bar managers. They had been shocked – how was that supposed to help? If anything, they thought, it would only make their fighting worse but oddly enough it didn’t. Clarke wanted to keep her job; it was actually not as bad as she figured it would be (besides her matches with Bellamy). In fact on most nights she would actually be having fun which if you knew Clarke, fun wasn’t in her usual vocabulary and for Bellamy, he had this job since they day he turned eighteen and he knew if he kept up this charade he’d be fired. So they made a truce and after a few days of trying to not even make eye contact with each other, they slowly got to a point where they were actually almost…friends?

He’d help her in the beginning, showing her the tricks he mastered through the years of being able to make three separate drinks in a matter of thirty seconds. Once again Bellamy was impressed at how easily she picked it up. It only took her a few weeks and maybe he was just mildly jealous. The first time she played ‘love maker’ as she liked to put it because it made him crinkle his nose in disgust, it was four months after their truce. He had been lucking out with a red head sitting with her two friends who kept giggling at his attempts to get her attention. She’d made a deal with him that if she was able to get him her number he had to be on clean up duty that night.

It was easy of course, she was a girl and she knew what girls liked. When she returned to him only five minutes later with a slip of a paper with Rachel’s number on it, his eyes widened in astonishment. Rachel shot him a wink on her way out and he whispered, “You are incredible,” into her ear before going to put her number into his phone. A week later she asked about her and he just shrugged his shoulders and mumbled, “It didn’t work out.” Not that she was surprised in the least.

Now though, she knew this wasn’t a typical favor. For the first time she witnessed Bellamy Blake looking _nervous_.

“What?” she questioned, “Need help hiding a dead body?”

He cracks a smile at that, “No and if I did, you wouldn’t be the one I’d ask to help.”

Clarke looks offended which makes him chuckle. The laugh that she secretly adores because of the way he bows his head and then shakes it.

“And why not?” she places the cup behind her onto the bar and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Because you’re _you_ ,” he answers simply. “You’re a goody good.”

Her mouth went agape as she grabbed the towel that was over his shoulder and used it to slap his arm, “I am not a goody good!”

He rubbed his now irritated red skin with an amused smirk, “Whatever, princess.”

(That nickname. Yeah, that _never_ left.) She used to reprimand him for it at first but she stopped fairly recently because he no longer used that condescending voice but now it actually seemed like a term of endearment.

“So what is it?” she asked.

Bellamy’s lips pursed and his hand went to rub the back of his neck, “I need you to come upstate with me for Christmas.”

Her eyes widen at the request and her head tilts to the side, “Excuse me?”

He looks over his shoulder as if for an out but unfortunately for him there was none. They had closed down ten minutes before and they were finishing up with cleaning the bar before heading home themselves.

“Okay, just hear me out,” he raises his hands in front of him as if she was about to attack. “Every Christmas my sister and her boyfriend celebrate with me and a couple of friends upstate in this holiday cabin thing they rent and every year she tries to set me up with one of her friends and it ends badly _every_ single time. I’m asking if you’ll pretend to be my girlfriend for just a few days.”

She laughs – well no, it’s actually more of a snort. It’s not what he expects and his eyes narrow at her as tries to regain composure by bringing her fingers to her lips but it doesn’t help. After a few seconds of her continued hilarity, he brings the palm of his hand to her mouth. She goes silent once their eyes meet and he slowly removes his hand.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” her tone is breathy, “but why would I do that?”

“Because we’re friends?” He offers weakly to which she just quirks a brow, “I’ll do whatever you want, I promise. I’ll do clean up duty and give you my tips for a week.”

She bites the inside of her cheek – Bellamy did get the best tips in the place. The extra money could help her put a down payment on the new car she wanted. Clarke knows he’s watching her, hoping that she budges so she keeps her face neutral.

“Why me?” the words make their way out before she can stop them.

He looks surprised again and it takes him a second to say anything, “I guess I know my sister would love you,” he shrugs. “I also remember you telling me last week that your parents booked a cruise during this time and you didn’t want to spend Christmas alone.”

Her head snaps up, eyebrows furrowed, and her lips slightly parted, “I didn’t tell you that.”

“Okay, so maybe I overhead you on the phone.”

“You were eavesdropping!”

He lets out a frustrated sigh, “Are you in or what?”

She probably should have taken more time to think about it but she doesn’t and she’s pretty sure she had her mind set right after he asked her, “Make it two weeks.”

A small smirk creeps onto his lips, “You have yourself a deal,” he comes closer and extends their hand to which she shakes. “Now go home and pack, we leave tomorrow.”


	2. Goody good

Clarke rolls her eyes when she hears the horn of Bellamy’s car blaring from outside her window after waiting .6 seconds. It was only half past eight and she never figured him as the punctual kind considering the fact that most of the days he worked, he’d just rolled in whatever time he pleased without getting caught by Kane.  Last night when she returned home she had gotten a call from Bellamy telling her that he informed his sister about bringing her and when Clarke had asked him how she took cancelling the date she had hooked him up with he sheepishly replied with the fact that he had made the call a week ago. Clarke couldn’t believe him – _that bastard_ , she thought. For some reason it angered and impressed her that he knew she would agree to his terms. She almost thought to break the deal right then, _almost_.

The truth was she really didn’t want to be alone during Christmas. All her other friends had plans with their own family; if it wasn’t for Bellamy’s “invitation” which benefitted him the most, she’d probably would have spent the night watching old Christmas movies with a bowl of unbuttered popcorn (because that’s all that was in the house) to keep her company. She grabbed the duffle bag from her bed and hoisted it over her shoulder as she made her way out the door. She couldn’t lie, she felt nervous. She was after all spending the next three days with a cabin full of strangers. At least she had Bellamy (it was weird thinking of him as a silver lining.) When she reached his truck, her ears were met with loud music and she stifled a laugh when she noticed his eyes were closed as he rocked his head back and forth to the melody.

She slid in and closed the door a little harder than she would normally have to get his attention. It worked, his eyes shot open and he lowered the music.  Of course he ignored the amused smile she was giving him and instead just cranked the key into the ignition and pulled out of her driveway.

“Do you always take that long?” was the first question he asked as soon as the wheels hit the pavement.

She narrowed her eyes at him and pulled her bag off her shoulder and threw it into the back seat, “Shut up, you’re lucky I even agreed.”

He glances over at her, obviously debating if he should respond the way he wants to but thinks better of it. “Fine, okay,” he sighs, “Let’s try not to fight so much when we’re around them, think you can handle that?”

Clarke nods her head once, “Good idea.”

Bellamy shoots her another look, slightly surprised by her answer. He had expected an eye roll and her blaming it on him whenever they argued.

It was quiet for a few minutes before he cleared his throat, “What’s your favorite color?”

She turns her head with her eyebrows furrowed, “What?”

“I think I should know my girlfriend’s favorite color.”

She disregards the way her stomach flips at the term he uses, “You really think they’d ask that?”

He shakes his head as he merges onto the freeway, “No, Octavia would want to know all the dirty but vague stories, of course,” Clarke couldn’t help but smile as he affectionately rolls his eyes at the mention of his sister. She’s heard her names a fair amount of times over the course of working together, “Lincoln will most likely ask all the simple questions like, how long did it take, how did I make it happen? There’s Jasper – God knows what will come out of his mouth, Monty, he won’t say much but for sure his boyfriend and also an old friend of mine, Nathan, will ask a lot since I’ve never brought a girl home for the Holidays. That goes for O, too.”

“That sounds like a lot of people,” she remarks.

“Not necessarily,” he tells her, “Now if I add Monroe, Murphy, Harper, Finn, and Raven. Yeah, that might be considered a lot.”

Clarke’s eyes widen with the rest of the names he lists, “ _All_ of those people are going to be there?”

He shrugs, purposely avoiding making eye contact by focusing on the road, “It’s a big cottage.” He’s met with silence so he peeks over at her, feeling slightly guilty, “Don’t be nervous.”

She meets his gaze, “I’m not nervous.” She lies.

“You’re playing with your ring,” he states and she looks down to see that she in fact twisting the small silver band around her finger, “You do that when you’re nervous.”

Clarke feels her heart hammering in her chest and she hates that she can feel a rush of heat fill her cheeks; she hates it even more that he can notice the pink hue easier with her pale complexion, “So you know my habit but you don’t know my favorite color?”

He chuckles and she’s grateful because it breaks the spell she feels she’s suddenly under, “Good point.”

“It’s green.”

It goes like that for a while, each of them taking turns asking different questions. At first they’re silly and unimportant, like what their favorite TV show is, or what they have for dinner most frequently and turns into things a little more personal. Something they’d never touched base on the whole time they’ve been working together. He asks her how old she was when she had her first date, fifteen, is her answer. In return she asks him about the most important person in his life, which is Octavia, and he tells her different stories involving the Blake siblings and she’s laughing and smiling along with him.

It’s not long till they pull up to the all wooden cabin and Clarke is in awe of the place. It’s _huge_ and stunning. The dark lumber contrasts perfectly with the white snow blanketing the roads. It looks to be three stories high which makes her think that they could fit even more people than the one’s Bellamy had mentioned.

“Looks like we’re the first to arrive,” he says as the car goes silent. “Besides Octavia and Lincoln who have been here probably since last Christmas.” He jokes but he isn’t rewarded with her angelic laughter.

She’s still staring at the cabin, “Come on, Clarke, they’re not going to bite.”

“I just feel bad,” she says which causes his confusion that’s sketched across his face; “I mean I don’t even know these people and I’m _lying_ to them.”

Bellamy exhales quietly, _and she says she isn’t a goody good_ , he thinks before unbuckling his belt, “Hey, relax, don’t think of it as lying, you’re just doing me a favor.”

She turns her head slowly to him to see his pleading face as if she was about to change her mind and demand he take her back and he’d have to deal with the millions of questions alone, “Yeah, okay.”

He gives her a smile, the stupid genuine smile that makes her heart soar. She climbs out of the truck and thanks him when she sees he had grabbed her bag himself along with his own. She offers to carry it but he shakes his head and leads her towards the door. Once he rings the bell, Clarke takes two deep breaths and she automatically reaches for her piece of jewelry again. She can hear shuffling and murmurs on the other side of the door before it opens and reveals a girl her age, dark brown locks, and piercing green eyes. She was absolutely stunning.

She grins at the sight of her brother and lets out a squeal of delight as she throws her arms around him. Bellamy laughs deeply and warmly as he returns the hug and kisses the top of her head.

“I’ve missed you, Belle,” she says when she releases him but keeps her hands on both his forearms; “It’s been forever.”

“It’s been three months,” he corrects causing her to stick her tongue out childishly but also very adorable.

When she quickly averts her attention to the blonde, Clarke lamely raises her hand to wave, “Hi, I’m –”

“Clarke!” Octavia grins as she encloses her into a hug. To say Clarke was surprised at the embrace was an understatement, over Octavia’s shoulder; she can see Bellamy trying to hide his amused smirk. She doesn’t even have time to react properly when she pulls away, “Bellamy has told me a lot about you.”

When Clarke looks over at him with a quizzical eyebrow raised, his eyes are faintly wide and he’s shaking his head at his sister who doesn’t seemed phased in the least.

“Come in, come in,” she ushers them inside, her hand clamped firmly around Clarke’s as she directs them down a hallway. “Here’s your room,” Octavia announces as she opens the door to expose a small den like area. A large bed, a pale shag carpet centered on the cold wood floor, and a dresser pushed against the wall. “It’s not much, I know.”

Clarke looks over at her and a smile tugs at her lips, “It’s perfect, thank you.”

Octavia is beaming now, “You’re welcome, thank _you_ for coming,” suddenly there’s a loud crash of metal hitting the floor and a string of curse words  to follow coming from an area close by causing the brunette to roll her eyes good naturally, “I should probably help Lincoln before he burns something. Go ahead and get your things unpacked. Everyone should be arriving soon.”

She leaves the room, the door shutting behind her, leaving the counterfeit couple alone once again. Bellamy drops the bags to the floor and he takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

“She probably has extra blankets somewhere,” he says, “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Don’t be stupid,” she rebukes as she takes the spot next to him. “The bed could easily fit us both.  As long as you have some self-control and don’t touch me, then we’re fine.” She flashes him a grin to show that she’s teasing.

He chuckles, “You wish I’d touch you.”

“You wish that I’d wish you’d touch me.”

They sound like immature children but she doesn’t care because they’re cracking up and nudging each other with their elbows as they do so.

She rests her hands on her lap before standing from her position, “We should probably go say hi to Lincoln.” She didn’t want to be impolite.

Bellamy smirks to himself because he just knows that Clarke can claim she’s not a goody good but everything about her screams otherwise, “Or,” he drawls out slowly, reaching his hand to grab hers and spin her around, he notices how her eyes widen and a soft gasp escapes her lips at the contact, “We can make them think we’re busy.”

Her eyebrows knit together, “What are you –”

Once again, she’s cut off but this time it’s because Bellamy pulls her a little closer and his legs wrap around her own before he twists them so she falling flat on her back on the warm bed. She barely registers what had happened, with his body hovering above her, his amused grin on his faces and the close proximity of their bodies; it causes her heart to pound so loudly she’s nervous that he might actually _hear_ it.

“Bellamy, what the hell are you doing?” she hisses and presses the palm of her hand onto his chest. She’s grateful for the fact that her voice is even and his heart seems to be agreeing with her own.

“Relax, princess,” he tells her, “Have some fun, will you?”

“How is us pretending we’re doing _that_ , any fun for me?”

He laughs at the expression on her face and she hates that he’s obviously pleased by her currently flushed state. She applies more pressure against his torso until he’s sitting straight up and she swallows hard and the doorbell sounds the arrival of the next guest as soon as her feet touch the ground.

“Shut up,” she tells him because she’s well aware he’s still watching her with the same amused expression. Her words cause him to chuckle and she hears the quiet sound of the bed creak as he gets off and follows her out of the room.

When they come around the corner, Clarke notices four new people. They’re all hugging and laughing and she swears she only thought these kind of reunions on Holiday’s only happen in the movies. She was used to it just being her parents for as long as she could remember. She doesn’t realize she’s staring and pretty much frozen in her spot until Bellamy places his hand onto her shoulder and directs her towards them. The sound of their footsteps causes them each to look their way.

“Bellamy!” a guy around her age with messy dark hair yells with a grin. Clarke stands back as he greets him and the rest of the small crowd before the same man looks over at her, “And who is your striking companion?”

Bellamy looks over his shoulder at her but Clarke offers her introduction before he could answer, “I’m Clarke.”

“Jasper,” he replies and then extends his hand for her to shake. “And this is my girl, Harper, my boy, Monty, and his boy, Nathan.”

Clarke cracks a smile along with everyone else as they each warmly welcome her into the group, it eases her nerves at how friendly they seem.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” She tells them at the same time Octavia puts her arm around her shoulders.

“You have to meet Lincoln,” she says and then leads her toward the kitchen where a tall man stands by the sink, his dark skin looks even darker in his white t-shirt, and he seems to be completely emerged with the task he has at hand which happens to be peeling onions, “Babe, this is Bellamy’s girlfriend, Clarke.”

He turns at the sound of his girlfriend’s voice and wipes his hands on his denim jeans before politely offering it to Clarke, “It’s still weird hearing that,” he says, “ _Bellamy’s_ girlfriend.”

“Stop it,” Octavia scolded halfheartedly as she used the back of her hand to hit his arm. Clarke could tell though that she was agreeing with him with the look they shared, “It’s just…different. Belle has never brought a girl here before.”

Clarke tucked her hair behind her ears, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Fortunately, the silence was interrupted by a hoot of hellos as the door opened. Clarke turned to see two more people make their entrance, excited smiles on both their faces.

“That’s Finn and Raven,” Octavia informed her as she stepped beside her. “Don’t worry; they’re not going to bite.” She repeated the words her brother used on her when they arrived. She really needed to learn to keep her nerves in check.

She followed her into the living room and Octavia gave them each a hug, Clarke noticed the rest of the gang sitting on the plush couches surround the TV set. Her eyes find Bellamy’s and he winks and _God_ ; she really doesn’t understand why her cheeks feel warm.

“Guys, this is Clarke,” Octavia broadcasts brightly and Clarke apprehends how much she already adored the girl who had been a stranger only twenty minutes before.

It’s not hard to gather that Finn is checking her out. His brows rise in surprise of the new girl and then slowly his eyes travel the length of her body. Her immediate thought of him was that he’s cute. He had long brown hair that almost touched his shoulders and a simple smile. Though she’s pretty sure by the way Raven studies him with pursed lips, the two of them have some unresolved issues.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Clarke,” Finn welcomes. She swears she hasn’t done so much handshaking since her parents held a banquet for a charity almost three years ago. At least this time she didn’t have to wear a elaborate dress and wear an excess amount of hairspray to keep her curls intact. She could still smell the fumes that stayed with her for days, “I wasn’t aware that Octavia had such a beautiful friend.”

“Hey!” Jasper’s voice is mockingly offended and Clarke bites down onto her lip to keep from giggling.

“That’s probably because she’s not her friend, she’s mine,” Bellamy says, his voice is laced with possessiveness but he doesn’t bother to get up from his seat, “More specifically my girlfriend. So back off, Collins.”

“I’m just being friendly, man,” Finn replies but she can tell that he’s slightly unnerved.

“Just ignore him,” Raven instructs. “We all do it.”

Finn rolls his eyes, obviously not satisfied at how this was going but Clarke is appreciative that Raven seems pleasant.

“Lunch should be ready in an hour,” Lincoln announces as he joins them. “If you haven’t picked a room, I suggest doing it now.”

That causes uproar of shouts from the gang calling dibs on certain rooms they must have already experienced having from previous years. She watches as they race each other down the hall and Octavia laughing into Lincoln’s shirt, as if they knew that scene was coming. This was most likely true, of course. Clarke’s heart slightly aches at the sight of them – they were so obviously in love. She hasn’t had much luck with that part of her life, of course she was still young and fiercely independent but she was human. She got lonely and she craved a little affection every now and then from the opposite sex.

Lincoln takes Octavia by the hand and whispers something in her ear making the younger girl blush and then tells both her and Bellamy that she’d be right back before chasing her boyfriend up the steps. She can hear Bellamy’s obvious distaste in his groan; he was still lounging on the couch, his head rolled back with his eyes closed.

“They make me sick sometimes.”

“I think they’re cute,” Clarke drops down next to him. He pops one eye open to see her scoping out the area. When she concludes that nobody was around, she moves closer so that her mouth is close to his ear. She could have her fun with this too, “But we can be cuter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn’t lose anyone’s interest throughout this chapter. Also I want to say thank you again for your comments and kudos! Keep ‘em coming, cuties. Also if you want, you can follow me on tumblr: bellamysclarks.


	3. Brave princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who takes time to leave their comments or kudos! Believe me when I say they mean a lot to me and I read EVERYTHING. I especially love when you guys tell me what you'd like to see because as much as I adore writing this fic, I want you guys to be enjoying it more!

It was obvious that her words caught his full attention by the way he opened both eyes and sat up straight.

“What are you trying to say?”

Clarke figured she was being fairly obvious but of course he wanted a further explanation, “I just mean that I can tell who’s with who, Harper keeps her arms almost _always_ around Jasper, Monty smiles at Nathan even when he’s not looking, Lincoln and Octavia…well you already know about them, and Finn and Raven –,”

“Are not together,” Bellamy clarified, his head lifting to meet her gaze.

She adjusted her position so that she was fully facing him, her legs tucked under her body and she placed her hand on his upper arm that slung over the back of the couch. Her touch was so unexpected that he had almost pulled away before relaxing. Bellamy had to remind himself that it would look strange to his friends that every time his “girlfriend” touched him, he’d tense up. It was just… _Clarke_ touching him wasn’t something he was used to. Of course throughout their year of working together, hands brushed, and she’d show her aggression with a few hand hits to his chest but it never reached past that.

“Yeah but I can still figure out that they had _something_ ,” she replied. “I mean I know you’re probably not capable of playing the endearing boyfriend type but-”

Through experience she realized if she used her challenging tone, he’d do anything to prove her wrong. Sometimes Clarke didn’t comprehend though just how well she knew Bellamy.

“I can _to_ play the perfect boyfriend,” he responded, a slight edge in his tone. Clarke just raised an eyebrow, feigning disbelief. He leaned closer so that their faces were mere inches apart, “Princess, I can make you forget about all your past boyfriends by the end of tonight.”

“Is that a bet?” she whispered, moving her face closer and for the life of her she didn’t know how she was remaining eye contact and not backing down in the slightest.

A small smirk made its way to his lips, “It’s a promise.”

Their heated stare was interrupted by the sound of giggling coming from the steps. The two turned their attention to Lincoln and Octavia making their way back to the living room. Octavia took in Clarke and Bellamy’s huddled form and smiled brightly.

“Well don’t you two look cozy.”

Bellamy almost groaned, he never understood his sister’s obsession to see him “settled down” for God’s sake he was only twenty seven. She always repeated that she just wanted to see him happy and with a ‘perfect girl’ but he always shook his head and explained that one didn’t exist.

“I was just telling your brother that I’m glad he invited me,” Clarke beamed up at the younger Blake and Bellamy noticed the way Octavia’s smile only widened and he couldn’t help but mimic the expression, yeah, his sister could be damn annoying sometimes but he loved to see those bright eyes light up from joy.

“And I was just about to tell Clarke,” he removed his arm from under hers and then wrapped them around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. He could tell that he took her by surprised by the small intake of a breath and he stifled a grin, “That I couldn’t wait to show her the hot tub.”

Clarke’s head turned so that their noses brushed, “There’s a hot tub?”

“Oh, there’s a hot tub.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” she questioned, “I didn’t bring any bathing suits.”

A grin took over his face and he winked, “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.”

His quip earned him a hard smack on the arm to which he chuckled.

“You can borrow mine,” Octavia told her as she reached her hand out for Clarke to take and helped her off the couch.

“It’s on the third floor’s balcony,” Lincoln told the blonde, “Nobody but us knows about it yet, we just got it a couple months ago.”

Octavia directed her to her and Lincoln’s room which was similar to her and Bellamy’s besides a different view. Clarke could see tree’s for as long as her eyes could carry with the snow encasing the branches so beautifully she wished she had brought her sketchpad. The brunette started to rummage through her drawers for a few seconds before she held up a two piece pale cobalt bathing suit with a triumph “aha!”

“Here you go,” she handed over the bikini and Clarke hesitantly took it from her awaiting hands. “Maybe Lincoln and I will join you guys. I’m assuming Jasper fell asleep and Monty and Miller are going to stay in their room until the food’s ready and God knows what Finn and Raven are doing.”

Clarke bit back her curiosity to ask about them and instead smiled and nodded, “Thank you.”

She walked back down the stairs and along the hall to her own room; she opened the door and was met with Bellamy’s back. His tan muscles contracting as he pulled off his shirt and then ran his hands through his hair. He didn’t appear to hear her and she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to. She mentally rolled her eyes at herself, _God damn, Clarke; you really do need to get laid_.  She saw him going for the buckle on his pants and decided it was a good time to tell him he wasn’t alone. She coughed awkwardly causing him to spin around and then bobbed his head in acknowledgement.

He obviously didn’t seem to care if she was around or not as he continued to strip down. His jeans falling to pool at his ankles and Clarke immediately turned around. She heard his deep laughter but she still didn’t dare to turn again.

“Clarke, come on,” his enjoyment clear in his tone. “You can’t tell me you haven’t seen a naked guy before. Even _I_ wouldn’t believe that?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” she jumped when she felt his breath on the back of her neck wondering how he made it right behind her without making a sound, “I know you’re as prude as it gets-”

“I am not!” she yelled as she pivoted to face him, grateful for the fact that he had on his own bathing suit. The silver colored trunks looked flawless against his tan skin.

Both his hands reached out to rest against the wall, her hair almost getting caught under his palm and barricading her between his arms. His head moved close to hers, “You sure about that?”

“You think you’re so hot, Blake,” she wasn’t going to back off now, “Keep this up for next week and those tips you’ll get will really help me out.”

And with that she ducked under his arm and slipped into the bathroom to change, never getting a glimpse at his shocked expression. She threw on the robe that she brought right after and when she returned to the room, she was alone. She tightened the robe around her as she climbed the stairs, she hadn’t noticed before but there were picture frames lining the walls. She stopped in the middle as she looked at a picture of Bellamy and Octavia years before, Octavia wearing a red graduation gown and cap where Bellamy wore a proud smile and an arm around his younger sister. The other photo was a picture of the whole gang in what looked like another cabin – the blue skies and clear lake showed it had to be around spring time.

The third picture was of a younger Bellamy and Octavia – he looked to be around eight and her only a toddler. He had her in his lap as what Clarke assumed was his mother, her dark hair curtaining half her face tried to help her son hold his sibling. Her heart ached at the photo; she knew that his mother had passed away shortly after his eighteenth birthday making him his sister’s keeper.

“Where are you off to?”

Clarke snapped her head to notice Finn at the end of the stairs, his eyebrows furrowed as he took in her appearance.

“Oh uh – the hot tub.”

“There’s a hot tub?!”

She smiled faintly, “Apparently.”

Finn shook his head, “Of course they’d keep that from the rest of us,” he joked, “You going alone?”

“No, actually,” Bellamy’s voice joined there’s as he came around the banister, his hair was damp and he had a towel over his shoulder, “I’ve been waiting.”

“You’re so impatient.” Clarke rebuked to which he shot her a grin and a wink.

Finn looked between the two of them before backtracking, “I’ll see you guys later then.”

Clarke barley got a ‘bye’ before he disappeared from sight and she looked up at Bellamy with raised eyebrows. He feigned innocence with a simple shrug and purse of the lips as she moved up the rest of the steps to join him at the top.

“I like those pictures,” she said as they made their way towards the balcony.

She saw a twitch of a smile before he replied, “Me too.”

He slid the door open for them and they were met with the chilling air and falling snow. Her bare feet touched the cold wood as she removed her robe and threw it over the nearby chair. Bellamy eyes wandered over the curve of her back – and maybe every other displayed curve, her creamy skin, and the way she filled out the bathing suit made him advert his eyes. He’d never seen Clarke so…exposed.

“Damn princess,” he tried to hide his genuine surprise with sarcasm, “Who would have thought you were hiding all that under your sweaters and jeans.”

Clarke rolled her eyes as she stepped into the steaming water, her body relaxing quickly. She slid all the way in and a soft sigh escaped her lips. Bellamy watched her with a small smile as he sat opposite her. It was quiet for a while only the sound of the jets could be heard and Clarke had never felt so peaceful.

They basked in the comfortable silence before Bellamy spoke, “I’m pretty sure Finn is obsessed with you.”

Clarke opened one eye, “Excuse me?”

“Just an observation.”

She peered over at him, his arms stretched out onto the rim of the tub, “He is not obsessed with me. We spoke for like three seconds.”

“I overheard him asking Octavia questions about you,” he said, “You don’t know Finn like we do. He’ll grow obsessed.”

Clarke didn’t want to think about that – it sounded pretty creepy instead chose to think that this was Bellamy being overdramatic, “He seems friendly.”

He scoffed, “Yeah, a little _too_ friendly.”

A small smirk appeared on her lips as her head tilted to the side, “Is this protectiveness I’m sensing?”

She saw the way his jaw set and he avoided her eyes, “Sue me for caring, princess.”

Her smirk turned into an honest smile as she dipped lower into the water, “Thank you but don’t worry, I can take care of myself.” And she hardly thought of Finn as threatening.

His gaze met hers, “Don’t I know it.”

The doors opened then and Octavia followed by Lincoln came into view. She had a towel over her body and squealed in delight when Lincoln scooped her up so that she wouldn’t have to come in contact with the cold ground. Clarke hid her face when he threw her inside causing the water to go everywhere and the blonde couldn’t help but laugh and then it turned into a full out water war. Lincoln jumping in and each of them splashing until a voice pulled them back into reality.

“Hey!” They turned to see Jasper standing with his arms crossed and eyebrows creased, “Since when did you guys get a hot tub?”

John – who they referred to as Murphy and Monroe had made it just in time for lunch and Clarke once again had to make her introductions and endure the shock faces when Octavia explained that she’d come as Bellamy’s date. She had to give it to Bellamy though, after their conversation earlier today he’d been playing the ‘good boyfriend’ part pretty well. He draped his arm around her shoulders every chance he got and held her hand when Octavia gave her the tour of the rest of the cabin.  It was…nice. The loneliness she’d been feeling for a while now was starting to slowly drift away.

They all situated themselves around the table, Bellamy on one side of Clarke and Raven on the other. Monty helped Lincoln bring in the food from the kitchen, serving hero sandwiches’, two bowls of salads (one tuna and the other caesar), and chicken pasta. Everything looked absolutely delicious and Clarke could feel herself growing hungrier with each passing moment. Octavia gave the instruction to “dig in” and that was exactly what everyone did. Mindless chatter going around as they each pulled different things onto their plates.

Before long the attention was back on Clarke when Monroe asks, “How did you two get together?”

Bellamy and Clarke exchanged a glance, they rehearsed their story on the ride over but she was feeling nervous again, “It’s a pretty boring story.”

“Oh, please, I’ve been dying to ask,” Octavia begged, “When Belle called me last week he didn’t give me any details besides the fact that you’re gorgeous and stubborn.”

Clarke’s orbs broadened in surprise as she looked up at him to see that he was staring at his sister with an ‘I’ll kill you’ expression that she knew all too well since she’d given him it many times.

Suddenly confidence found her after those words, “Well we’d been working together for a while and he’d been _begging_ for a date –”

“Don’t even try that,” Bellamy cut in, “This is how it went. We fought, we called a truce, I asked her out on a date and then I asked her to come up here with me. I mean how could she say no to this face?”

The gang rolled their eyes in amusement and Clarke shrugged, “It’s true though. I just keep him around for that face and maybe for a free meal every now and then.”

“And I only keep her around because she likes to speak French in the bedroom,” Bellamy smirked and her eyes widened.

This wasn’t fair, these were _his_ friends. She was almost entitled to embarrass him but he wasn’t allowed to do the same. She felt herself blushing, the heat moving up her neck as the rest of the group each tried to hold in their snickers at her expanse but failing miserably. She peeked over at him to see that he was already staring at her, a smug grin on his lips. She gritted her teeth and sent a glare his way but he only placed an arm around the back of her chair.

“You can speak French?” Monty asked with interest and she was so grateful for the boy at that moment.

She moved her head from side to side, “Only slightly. I went to Paris with my parents for a few summers and my mom wanted me to learn the language.”

“Oh, she’s just being modest,” Bellamy drawled out and she had to force herself not to throw her elbow into his rib to get him to shut up, “Isn’t that right, princess?”

Clarke wished she never mentioned that fact about her in the car. He had told her that he’d always wanted to go to Paris and she just let it slip.

“How do you say ‘I love you’?” Harper asked and Clarke could feel the tips of her ears burn from all their gazes.

“Uh – _je t'aime_.”

Murphy was the next to ask, “Can you say, ‘I need a cold beer’?”

Clarke smiled at that one before she answered, “ _j'ai besoin d'une bière froide_.”

Bellamy watched with a mix of amusement and awe, his eyes unconsciously watched her mouth. The language sounded even more beautiful coming from the tip of her tongue.

“Okay, okay,” Octavia grinned deviously, “Say ‘I could use a good fuck right now’.”

Bellamy’s eyes almost popped out of his head and his arm dropped down to his side, “Octavia!”

The rest of their friends jolted with laughter including Clarke who had to cup a hand over her mouth to stop herself from being so loud.

“What?” Octavia shrugged innocently, “I’m curious.”

“Well,” Clarke looked up at Bellamy knowing that he wasn’t expecting her to have the guts to respond, “ _j'aurais bien besoin de baiser_.”

“Hot.” Octavia sat back in her chair with the same smile still intact as she quietly murmured the words to herself.

“Yeah,” Bellamy softly agreed but it wasn’t for show considering nobody could hear him but her, “How many times have you needed to use that one?”

There was no doubt that a pinkish hue filled her cheeks once again but she tried to continue with her boldness, “Just this once,” she leaned in closer to his side, “Right now.”

“Brave princess,” he breathed after a stunned pause and she smirked.

This night was just getting interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know absolutely no French – I just think it’s a beautiful language so I’m sorry if I butchered it (google translate isn’t always helpful).   
> EDIT: Thank you to Parischick who helped correct the French :)
> 
> So, who's ready for tonight's episode?! Yeah, I say I am but I'll probably end up broken and crying by the end.


	4. Approvals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Drug use (marijuana)

The rest of lunch went by just as smoothly, jokes were heard, stories were told. Clarke specifically enjoyed the tale of when Octavia was sixteen and she was going out on her first date with some boy named Atom and Bellamy had stood at the door and stared him down and subtly stated that he had to pick up his six-shooter before they left. Octavia rolled her eyes when she told Clarke that Atom barley even looked at her throughout the movie and when he dropped her off, he only mumbled a goodbye and she’d never had contact with him again.

Clarke then volunteered to help Lincoln, Monty, and Harper bring in the dishes while the others sat around in the living room.

“That was a great meal,” Clarke told him as she handed over the last plate.

“Well if you liked that you’ll love dinner, especially Christmas dinner,” Lincoln replied with a grin, “We go all out for that one.”

“I can’t wait.”

She could hear the sound of laughter from the others and Clarke wiped her hands on the dish rag Lincoln offered her.

“I’m glad you decided to come,” he said as he leaned against the counter, “I can tell Octavia really likes you which is a surprise because she never favors anyone Bellamy chooses to see.”

Clarke smiled as she mimicked his pose, “They’re really protective of each other aren’t they?”

“Yeah they are,” his response was soft, “It took me awhile to get his approval. Almost two years.”

“Really?” Clarke wondered out loud, “How long have you two been together?”

Lincoln thought about it for a moment before answering, “About four years and a couple months. When she invited me to one of these things for the first time, I was a nervous wreck so I give you a lot of credit, Clarke.”

“Oh please, you should have seen me in the car, I almost asked him to turn back around,” she laughed and he joined in, “So they do this often? All of them hanging out in cabins?” she remembered the picture she saw of all of them on the wall.

“The Christmas cabin was my idea but Octavia told me they used to travel to Florida every summer or sometimes Georgia and stay in different hotels for weeks,” he smiled fondly, “They’d each save up their money for those trips and they were never disappointed.”

Clarke thought back to her times with her friends, her and Wells once voyaged to Alaska a few years back but that was only because he wanted to visit his father who was away on business, “That sounds nice.”

“It does,” he agreed, “They still do it – maybe next time we’ll be seeing you?”

Clarke’s heart sunk, after Christmas she and Bellamy would break the deal off and these people who should technically still be strangers to her since she barely knew them would leave the picture as well. “Yeah, maybe.”

Lincoln didn’t seem to notice her mood change as he turned the dishwasher on and nodded towards the den. She followed behind him to see Raven and Jasper rummaging through one of the bags set by the fireplace.

“Are we seriously doing this?” Bellamy asked.

“Come on, Belle,” Octavia said from her spot on the end of the love seat, she left enough room for her boyfriend to sit beside her and she propped her legs up onto his lap, “We did it the first time we started this tradition and now that we have a newbie it just feels right.”

Clarke looked between the sibling’s faces, “Do what exactly?”

“Found it!” Jasper yelled as he held up a small ziploc bag.

“You guys are getting high?” Clarke questioned, her voice louder then she intended it to be which got her a few curious mixed with guilty glances.

“Didn’t I say she wouldn’t like it?” Bellamy’s eyebrows rose as if to tell his sister ‘I told you so’.

“And why wouldn’t I like it?” Clarke quizzed before Octavia could respond.

Bellamy tilted his head to the side, “Come on, Clarke, I know this isn’t your thing.”

That was true but it wasn’t like she’d never had gotten high before – it may have been over five years ago when her and her friend Lexa wanted to try it out. She remembered when Wells was completely opposed to the idea but ended up trying it anyways. Clarke was usually a natural when it came to doing anything but when she inhaled the smoke; she’d ended up in a coughing fit that lasted a full thirty seconds. When she tried again, it wasn’t much of a success either. Both Wells and Lexa continued to have their ‘fun’ from time to time and they of course never let her forget about that day.

“Just roll the joint, Bellamy.” She instructed, her voice had a slight edge to it but her demanding tone oddly enough enthralled him.

“Your wish is my command, princess.”

As it turns out, Bellamy was terrible roller and Jasper (he referred to himself as ‘the pro’) had to take over and when Clarke snickered at his obvious annoyance, he shot her a glare which only kept her giggling. After a few minutes two joints were made and passed around. Starting with Raven, who lightly placed it between her thumb and finger before bringing it to her lips. The second one was given to a gleeful Octavia who inhaled it perfectly before exhaling cloud like smoke.

“This is the good stuff,” Harper grinned as she handed it over to Finn.

Clarke watched in amazement as all these people were able to let loose. She glanced at Octavia who was cackling at nothing in particular as she sat in between Lincoln’s legs. Monty looked almost ready to fall asleep as he smiled up at the ceiling with his head in Nathan’s lap.

One of them finally made its way to Bellamy and he gripped it between his long fingers and wrapped his mouth around the end, Clarke knew she should have looked away because in her mind it seemed so…sexy. He was sitting in the velvet recliner with Clarke perched on the armrest. He held it in for a couple of seconds before letting it out with a breathy laugh.

He noted her watching him, staring him down more like it, “Come here,” it came out almost as a whisper as he wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her into his lap, “Part your lips.”

She did what she was told without question, his husky voice and smoldering gaze was to blame. He inhaled again but didn’t blow it out; instead he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her own causing her heart to race as he let the smoke enter her mouth. She willed herself not to cough and ruin everything because if this wasn’t the most erotic thing to happen to her in a long time… (She knows, pathetic). She doesn’t cough.

Bellamy’s hand that was on her waist had made its way up to her upper back and he’s holding her close and staring into her eyes.

“Do it again,” she murmurs and he does. And she _knows_ that everyone else is busy in their own little daze, giggling or dozing off but it’s easier to tell herself that this was all just for show.

Jasper and Monty had both made it their job to get all the snacks from the cupboard and bring it back to the living room. Lincoln had warned them that if they spoiled their appetite for dinner, he was going to be pissed. It didn’t stop them though and it didn’t stop any others as they dug their hands into chips and cookies. Clarke wasn’t feeling much of an effect but she was considerably feeling lighter though and she had moved away from Bellamy and instead was seated next to Murphy and Octavia on the floor as they all dug into the munchies.

 “Why can’t this be every day?” Jasper asked with a mouthful of Doritos, “God, reality sucks.”

There were hums of agreement and Clarke lifted her head to see that Bellamy was already staring at her. She feels like the air between them is shifting into something far more serious and it scares her. So instead of her immediate reaction of looking away, she winks at him and mouths silently ‘Kane patrol’ because that was something they’d mumbled to each other in warning whenever their boss walked in pissed off and blamed everyone around him instead of himself. She feels relief when he ducks his head and chuckles quietly.

“So Clarke,” Octavia grins, “The girls and I are going to the outlets tomorrow – you want to come?”

Clarke gazed around her and noticed Raven and Monroe’s warm smiles to which she returned, “Yeah, that sounds fun.”

It didn’t, of course, sound fun. Clarke never really enjoyed shopping – her mother always tried dragging her out to countless shops and gave it up around her teen years since she’d always ask to leave half hour after arriving but she liked Octavia and the rest of the girls seemed sweet enough. It also would have been completely rude of her to decline the invitation. 

-

Clarke continued to hang out in the den while Octavia, Monroe, and Bellamy helped Lincoln with dinner. She offered her help but Octavia just shook her head and told her that she was a guest and instead grabbed Bellamy by the back of his collar and dragged him out, ignoring his groans of protest. She sat at the end of the couch, her legs tucked under her as Jasper and Murphy played some seemingly violent video game hooked up to the television set, Nathan and Monty were outside on the patio and Raven was showing Harper the photos from the vacation she took a few months ago.

“Hey, Clarke,” Jasper nodded over at her, raising the remote control, “You wanna play?”

She smiled but shook her head, “No, thank you. I’d be awful.”

“Please,” Raven scoffed, “You should give yourself more credit, these guys are so easy to beat.”

Both Murphy and Jaspers voiced their disagreements only causing her to laugh in return and reach over to grab Jasper’s remote.

“You sure you don’t want to play?” Raven asked.

“It’s fine, I can tell you’d kick their ass much better than I could.”

Raven wore a proud smile and Finn suddenly appeared from the hallway and into the living room, “Don’t make her head any bigger than it is.”

“Hey, shut it!” Raven rebuked but Clarke saw the hint of a smile.

She stood after a few minutes of them each yelling for their next turn and moved to the kitchen.

“You sure you don’t need any help?” Clarke probed, her hands falling into her back denim pockets.

“We have it under control, thank you though.” Octavia answered, the corner of her lips turning upwards at the same time Bellamy smirked and mouthed, _goody good_.

Clarke smacks his butt on the way out for good measure and squealed in surprise when he grabbed her by the waist before she could get far.

“Dictator Blake,” he says when his arms fully wrap around Clarke, “Can I please take a few minutes to be alone with my girlfriend?”

She hears Octavia’s teasing dramatic sigh, “Fine but it make it five, Cadet. We need you in here.”

Clarke lifts her head up to see his mocking salute and she can’t help but grin. She really wished she had a sibling to act like that around with. He takes her hand and brings her down the hallway and she knows his friends in the living room have their eyes on their backs. He opens the door to their room and releases her hand right after to collapse onto their bed with a tired exhalation.

“My sister does not stop talking about you,” he brings the heel of his palms to his eyes to rub. “She’s great Bellamy, why didn’t you tell me about her sooner; do you think she likes it here?”

She feels her heart ascend as he echoes Octavia’s words, “Well apparently she’s not the only one talking about me.”

His hands fall to his side and he raises his eyebrows, “What do you mean?”

“Gorgeous and stubborn, huh?” Clarke repeated Octavia’s words from lunch, her arms crossing over her chest and a smile appearing on her pink lips.

Bellamy rolled his head back and muted a groan; he knew he shouldn’t have mentioned anything to Octavia over the phone, “I had to tell her something. She basically wanted your whole back story.”

Clarke chuckles as she takes a seat at the edge of the bed, “I am liking it here, by the way. She’s great – the rest of your friends are too.”

He props himself up on his elbows, his eyes searching hers for any fabrications but he finds none, “I’m glad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not very happy with this ending of the chapter but I wanted to update! I’m so grateful for the people who send me messages on tumblr or leave comments on this story or press the ‘kudos’ button! I know I’ve said it before but: THANKYOU. You really are wonderful people! I think there’s only going to be 2 or 3 more chapters and then I’ll probably be posting one-shots either here or on my blog!


	5. Gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I just wanted to say that I am SO sorry that it took this long to update. I actually had the last chapter all written out and ready to post and then the next day my computer just died. It wouldn’t turn all the way on for days and that’s when I took it to get it fixed and they told me that it would take at least a week and a half and over $300. So I decided it would be better if I just got another one instead which means goodbye very lengthy chapter. 
> 
> Second, thank you guys for all your wonderful comments! Sometimes I even re-read them because they’re so nice (I’m a dork, I know) but really it means a lot! Also the ‘kudos’ really make my day as well!

Clarke Griffin discovered two things about Octavia Blake by nine A.M that morning. For one, she was a _serious_ shopper. She had barged into their room only twenty minutes after eight with a grin and a demand, _get up blondie._ She was also a pro at ignoring her brother’s threats that happened to be ‘you better fucking knock next time’ and ‘leave us the hell alone or I’ll hurt you.’ Though it wasn’t that intimidating considering his voice was muffled by the pillow he was digging his head into. Clarke threw her legs over the bed once the younger sibling exited and watched as Bellamy drifted right back to sleep.

After a very delicious meal for dinner last night (Clarke had asked for the recipe for Lincoln’s casserole and he happily obliged) they all hung out for about an hour or two afterwards before parting into their own bedrooms. Bellamy immediately stripped himself of his jeans and t-shirt while Clarke grabbed her flannel pajama bottoms and flimsy tank top and changed in the bathroom. When she reentered, Bellamy was laying on his back, eyes closed, and naked chest rising and falling with every breath he took. She slipped under the covers and watched him for a moment…or maybe a few. He looked so peaceful, it was almost strange to see him like that.

When he shifted to his side, she figured he was still asleep until his eyes fluttered open lazily and he murmured, “Stop staring at me, princess. It’s creepy.”

She figured if he had the energy, he’d be smirking. She felt her face flush, “I’m not staring!” she lied before she turned over.

His deep rumbling of a chuckle made the rest of her body warm and then the bed dipped slightly as they both kept their backs to each other. They fell asleep that way, her listening to his breathing even out before she could put her mind to rest.

After a quick breakfast with the rest of the girls, they headed off to the outlets. Clarke followed them from store to store, giving her personal opinions whenever they asked. While everyone else was in _Lord and Taylor’s_ , she and Raven searched through the jewelry store where she helped her find a necklace for herself, she also picked out something for Monroe’s mother back home, and got hot chocolate for all them with Harper to keep them warm through the frigid temperature. She figured the only reason there were so many people out shopping was due to the Christmas Eve’s special sales.

“So,” Octavia sidled up to her side, “What did you get my brother?”

Clarke’s eyes widened. _Presents_.  “Uh – I actually didn’t get him anything.”

Octavia looked at her in disbelief, “Come on, Clarke. You can tell me. I can keep a secret.”

The blonde dug her teeth into her lower lip, “I couldn’t decide.” She shrugged, hoping she’d believe her lie.

A wicked grin appeared on the younger Blake’s face as she adjusted her shopping bags on her arm to grab hold of Clarke’s hand, “I have the perfect gift.”

Immediately Clarke senses were filled with a powerful scent of perfume and almost all things pink. That’s when she put together that they were in _Victoria’s Secret_ and all Bellamy’s warnings about his sister’s blunt behavior mixed with a dirty mind was starting to make sense. When she turned towards her, Octavia held up a black lace cutout Teddy. Clarke’s eyes widened, she wanted her to get her brother lingerie. _Insane_.

She felt herself blush, “I can’t give him that!”

Octavia’s eyebrows pulled together with a frown, “Why not?”

“Well because – I – I can’t give him that in front of everyone,” she pushed her hair back with a shake of her head, “It’d be too embarrassing.”

Octavia laughed, “It’s okay. We’re not exchanging gifts with everyone this year. It wouldn’t be fair since we didn’t have enough time to get you anything.”

“Oh no, don’t let me ruin your tradition!”

The brunette smiled, “Believe me, it’s no problem. Bellamy and I decided that when we spoke last week besides I may have gotten Lincoln something similar.” She handed over the lingerie set.

“Octavia –,”

“Don’t worry, not a word,” she made a show of zipping her lips, “And that goes for asking about Bellamy’s gift.”

Clarke’s ears perked at that, _he had bought her something? Even after knowing they wouldn’t have to put on a show with an exchange._ She tried to mask her surprise with a simple chuckle as Octavia directed her towards the line.

-

When they arrived back to the lodge, they found the guys either sprawled across the couch or the floor. Octavia shouted that they were back but were only met with a couple of grunts of acknowledgment as their eyes never peeled away from the screen. Octavia rolled her eyes and mumbled, “boys” causing Clarke to grin before moving to her room. She stuffed her purchase into the third drawer before peeking towards his corner of the room where his suitcase was.

She was very curious about her mysterious gift – if there really was one. She glanced towards the closed door before walking closer to the luggage. She crouched down and slowly unzipped it, ignoring the voice in her head that kept repeating for her to step away. As soon as she had it opened though, she heard the sound of footsteps right outside. Clarke’s eyes widened as she dropped her hand and immediately stood back up. She tried to regain her footing but only ended up tripping over herself and tumbling backwards, lucky the bed (still unmade) broke her fall.

The door opened and Bellamy peeked his head in, “Hey, I –,” his head cocked to the side as he took in her rosy cheeks and seemingly guilty expression. “You okay?”

She nodded, flashing a tight smile, “Yeah, just tired.”

He closes the door behind him, shaking his head before he collapses next to her. “Sorry about that, my sister will drain you of all your energy.”

Clarke chuckles, “Don’t be sorry. I had fun.”

Bellamy turns his head towards her giving her a look of doubt.

“I did!” she laughs again, “On Christmas Eve I usually hang out with my friends Lexa and Wells and watch really crappy hallmark movies that play all throughout December.”

Bellamy smiles softly and tears his eyes away to stare up at the ceiling. They stay like that for a while, still and silent. She can tell from the corner of her eye that he’s looking at her again but all she does is keep her gaze upwards and hope she wasn’t blushing.

“When I was twelve and Octavia was seven my mom put on ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ for the first time,” he says quietly, almost to himself. Clarke turns on her side to face him only to see that he resumed his staring contest with the ceiling. He swallows hard and she knows that he’s still hesitant of sharing this part of his life, “Octavia loved it. She watched it three more times just that day.”

Clarke smiles at that, she can picture a little pretty brunette tucked into the side of a sofa, immersed by the movie magic.

“She kept saying how she wanted her own guardian angel,” she doesn’t miss the slight pain in his voice and her heart aches because she knows he’s thinking of his mother. She moves closer to him, they’re not touching and she’s not even sure he notices she’s closer but he doesn’t say anything, “It kind of became a tradition after that. We’d watch it every Christmas Eve – even when I was sixteen and claimed it was ‘getting old’ I still watched it. Octavia on one side and my mom on the other.”

Now she pictures a teenage Bellamy, all freckles and tanned skin, rolling his eyes at the fact that they want to watch it _again_ but still gives into their pleading.

The muscles in his jaw twitch as his eyes fall down to hers, “After she passed, we never watched it again. Well at least I never did,” he pauses and she digs her teeth down into her lower lip, “That’s probably a little much. I mean it’s been over eight years.”

Clarke shakes her head, “No, it not,” she whispers, her hand reaching out to touch his arm, “I understand.”

Their locked gazes makes it hard for her to breathe correctly and she doesn’t remove her hand. It’s too quiet – she can pretty much hear her heart hammering in her ears. That is until the door swings open causing them to flinch apart in surprise.

“Clarke – _oh_ ,” Octavia stops in her tracks and gives them a sheepish smile, “I’m sorry, I’m always interrupting. I really didn’t know you were in here, Bell.”

Bellamy shakes his head as he gets up, “It’s fine.” He mumbles as he brushes past her, not sparing another glance at Clarke.

Octavia’s eyebrows pull together at the abrupt hostility and Clarke feels a churn in her stomach.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Clarke says though she’s not so sure, “Everything is fine.”

She seems to buy her answer with a shrug, “Okay well the rest of us are going outside for a snowball fight and maybe some sledding,” she rolls her eyes good naturally, “I know we sound like five year olds.”

Clarke gives her a genuine smile, “It sounds perfect. Just let me put on some more layers.”

-

When she finally emerges from the house, a pair of leggings under her pants, a scarf around her neck, and a hat over her head she’s met with the bitter cold that nips at the exposed flesh of her face. She giggles when Jasper throws a snowball at Monty’s butt causing him to yelp in surprise. Octavia is quick to retaliate in his defense and soon Jasper is the one getting pummeled with flying snow. She looks around and frowns when she doesn’t notice Bellamy. She wonders if he usually participated in these things.

 Before she even realizes, she’s swept off her feet and thrown over someone’s shoulder effortlessly. She squeals and looks down at her captor to see Nathan’s face grinning up at her. He sets her down behind an impressive fort next to Raven and she doesn’t even realize she’s still smiling.

“Hope you don’t mind,” he says as he hands over a freshly made snowball, “but you’re with us.”

Raven shoots her a wink and Clarke grins, “Let’s kick ass.”

Fifteen minutes later though all teams are abandoned and it’s every man for themselves. Clarke had her fair share of hits against Octavia, Jasper, and Murphy but she was also a victim to Monroe and Finn. Her face is frozen and her cheeks and nose are probably bright red but she can’t help but feel a warmth inside of her. She glances up at the window that overlooks their playing field and notices the figure staring out at them. Bellamy to be more exact. He has a mug in his hand and when he catches her eye, he gives a quick nod of acknowledgment before disappearing from view.

She frowns, wondering what his deal was before someone’s shoulder bumped against hers. She looked up to see Finn smirking at her.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, “Still pissed I got a solid hit?”

“A hit to my face!” she pointed a teasing finger at him, “That’s a low blow.”

He chuckles as he pulls his beanie down to his brows, “Come on, I’ll make you some hot chocolate to make it up to you.”

She follows him into the warm lodge, removing her wet boots and jacket as he calls her into the kitchen asking if she wanted milk or water. She leans against the marble, rubbing her cold hands together as he grabs two mugs from the cupboards.

“Oh, you still have snow – here,” he stretched out his hand, his thumb grazing the top of her right eyebrow.

“What the hell are you doing?” a low voice demanded causing them to jump apart.

Clarke looks over to see Bellamy’s dark eyes staring down Finn.

“I was just making some hot chocolate,” Finn responds quickly.

Bellamy takes what Clarke assumes is a threatening step forward (and based on Finn’s step backwards, it’s working).  

“You have to caress my girlfriend while you do it?” he growls and Clarke’s not sure what to think. One second he was sweet and telling her about a private part of his life, then he’s cold, and now…now she’s wholly confused.

“Can you relax?” She questioned, anger finding her out of all her jumbled emotions.

He glances at her as if he almost forgot that she was in the kitchen, “I’m sorry I’m not comfortable with someone else touching you.”

“Oh my God, he was getting snow off me, not fucking me on the counter.”

Her words shock both her and Bellamy. She’s pretty sure if Finn was in her line of vision, she’d see him slacked jaw as well.

“I’m sorry, Finn,” she glances over her shoulder, his eyes were wide, “Can you give us a second?”

He looks between them before nodding and swiftly removes himself from their little scene. Bellamy’s eyes are darker and the tension is clear in his shoulders when she turns back to him.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“What the hell am I doing?” he repeats incredulously, “I’m playing my part. What the hell are _you_ doing?”

His words bring an unexpected sting. Her fury only grows for it though. He strides closer to her until her chest is against his torso. He leans forward, his mouth close to her ear, “I suggest you start playing yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original chapter was MUCH better but sadly gone. Hopefully nothing like the last time happens and I'm able to update much quicker!


	6. Never Have I Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned how great you guys are? (Probably every time I update but it's needed.) Thank you so much for your support! I love reading what you guys think. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Clarke stands there stunned (she wasn’t sure if she was more angry or hurt) until she was pulled back into reality with the sound of laughter and chatter coming from the entrance. She made a beeline for the stairs and climbed them two at a time. She wasn’t sure where she was going but she didn’t want to risk going into her room and hitting Bellamy where it really hurt (physically because now she was almost sure he couldn’t be hurt emotionally) and she didn’t want Octavia, who oddly enough could sense something being wrong the minute she stares into your eyes. Clarke didn’t want to lie to her _again_. She couldn’t believe the nerve he had – _play her part_. She _was_ playing her part! She debated the options she had.

She could call it all off, tell his sister and his friends that he had bribed her into coming to the lodge. It’s not like she really needed those tips, she could put off buying a new car for a little longer, and clean up duty wasn’t all that bad, she was sometimes able to get out of there by three A.M. She could also spend Christmas alone, people did it all the time. She rolled her eyes at herself as she stepped out onto the balcony, this one was just a deck and she wished she had time to grab her jacket and shoes before coming up. Who was she trying to kid? Clarke was enjoying herself (up until fairly recently) surrounded by these people. Clean up duty sucked and she needed all the extra money she could get. She couldn’t deny the fact that she liked spending this extra time with him and as surprising as that turned out she wasn’t ready to give it up just yet even after their little tirade.

Also Clarke wasn’t one to give up, the other half of her that wasn’t so sensible wanted to prove just how damn good she was at “playing her part”. If he was asking for more, she was going to give him more until he’d eat his words. She just wasn’t sure how she was going to do it. The bitter temperature cleared her head a little, feeling sufficiently less livid but the buzz was still there as she slid open the door and walked back into the warm house. She was careful not to make too much noise as she made her way down the hallway since she wasn’t sure who was already up in their rooms.

Midway down the stairs, she could hear their voices in the living room. She hopes she looks calm and apathetic when a few pair of eyes land on her. She searches the crowd, no Bellamy, and she’s not sure she’s relieved or once again pissed off. Octavia is sitting on the floor between Lincoln’s legs when she catches her gaze and waves her to sit beside her.

“Can you believe _now_ these guys want to know what we got this morning?” she shakes her head as Clarke pulls her legs up to her chest and leans against the edge of the couch.

“We just want to know what you got _us_ ,” is Jasper’s response as he looks over at Harper who has a hint of a grin but only shrugs.

She keeps quiet while the rest of them continue with their discussion, she hears parts and bits of their conversation. Something about the snow stopping tomorrow night and why Lincoln and Octavia left out the “very important detail” of getting a hot tub. She’s so lost in her own mind that she doesn’t even realize her very prestige _boyfriend_ had made his appearance until Murphy calls out to him from the kitchen asking if he wanted a beer. Clarke looks up to see him staring at her, his expression serious, his eyes dark, jaw set, she holds back on swallowing or blushing under his heated stare. He takes a seat on the couch, farthest away from her and answers his friend with a scoff – wordlessly meaning _obviously_.

Murphy returns with a few beers under his arms, he nods at Clarke and she thanks him with a smile once she has the cold bottle in her hands. She clinks the glass with Octavia who’s bright eyes make her feel slightly better than before. Though there’s still an uneasiness set in the pit of her stomach when she could feel him boring holes into her profile as she listens to Raven’s story about the time she was able to fix over a dozen cars in less than 24 hours. Clarke was impressed, she could barely change her tire without screwing up. The third time she casts a glance at him to see him still looking at her, she wants so scream but she contains herself. Instead she gathers her courage and sends him a smile, she feels satisfaction when surprise flashes in his orbs.

“Should we go back to when we used to play our drinking games?” Octavia asks. She continues to use Clarke being a newbie as an excuse but the blonde is pretty sure she just misses their older traditions.

Based on the rest (excluding Bellamy) of their nods, she assumes they miss it too.

“Which one?” Monty questions.

“Whichever gets me drunk quicker,” Bellamy’s gruff voice pipes up and his eyes aren’t settled on anything particular. They go from the beer already in his hand, to the wall opposite him, to Jasper who’s taken the seat beside him.

His words cause Finn, Raven, and Octavia to glance at her and she tries to ignore them as she sips at her beverage. There are murmurs of agreement from everyone else though. Octavia stands, pulling Lincoln up with her. A few minutes later, they have shot glasses in their hands and a tequila bottle. She scatters enough for everybody onto the floor.

“It’s been awhile,” she says as she starts pour the liquid into each glass, “Let’s just go with: Never Have I ever.”

“I’ll start,” Monroe lifts her shot in the air, “Never have I ever gone skinny dipping.”

Clarke watches as Lincoln and Octavia share a look which causes her to smirk and her cheeks to turn a tint of pink as they shoot their drinks back. She also catches Bellamy’s grimace and she bites her lip to keep from giggling. Surprisingly, they’re the only ones. She figured with such an interesting and adventurous group, they would have crossed that off each of their lists a while ago.

Jasper takes his turn, “Never have I ever got arrested.”

Octavia glares at him as she pours herself another shot. Her eyes widen when Murphy and Bellamy take theirs as well. He purposely avoids her gaze and she can’t keep herself from wondering what the story was.

“Okay, never have I ever…” Raven purses her lips in thought, “Flashed someone.”

At this rate Octavia was probably already tipsy. She unshamelessly threw the liquid back, along with Harper. Clarke could have lied, keep her face from turning red because these people were still strangers to her but if she was playing honestly…she gulped the liquid down. As predicted she was met with a few amused grins and eyebrow raises. Bellamy (of course) is who she focused the most on, the tug at the corner of his lips and his head tilted to the side.

“Never have I ever had sex in a place where I could easily been caught,” Octavia smirks in triumph when she and Clarke are the only ones who don’t take a sip, “And you guys call _me_ wild.”

Lincoln chuckles and she lolls her head back onto his chest so he can kiss her forehead. Clarke heart warms again at the sight of them.

“Never have I ever done something stupid and not regretted it,” Bellamy speaks, his eyes finding hers across the tops of everyone’s head. She gulps as he doesn’t take a drink as a few others do. She doesn’t know the hidden message behind his words – does he not regret asking her to come? Does not regret their argument they had? Clarke looks away but also doesn’t dare a sip either.

It goes on like that for at least another twenty minutes, nobody is really _drunk_ but she feels less tautness then before. When the game is over, Raven asks if she wanted to finish their marathon to which she agrees.

Before she could get far though, Bellamy’s fingers circle around her elbow and turns her to him, “Clarke about –,”

She holds her hand up to stop him, “Don’t worry about it,” she said, “You’re right, we made a fair deal. I’ll step up my game.”

With a smile which only confuses him more, she walks away

-

Dinner is served half past seven and Clarke had managed to avoid all contact with Bellamy which was surprisingly easy to do while trapped in the same cabin. She, Harper, Jasper, and Nathan, occupied her time with the hot tub, she listened to a few more stories about their group, Raven and her bonded over 90s television shows, they watched a couple of reruns of _Friends_ in her room (an awkward visit from Finn in the middle of an episode who sheepishly smiled before leaving), and now she was helping Octavia and Lincoln set the table.

Bellamy seemed to stay put in their room, exiting only when Octavia shouted that dinner was ready. His hair was still wet from the shower, dressed in a pair of denim jeans and a blue sweater. He took the seat beside her, his eyes lingering on the side of her face but she barley glanced in his direction knowing it was probably driving him crazy. Instead she paid special attention to the dishes set out for them.

“I can’t believe tomorrow’s Christmas,” Harper said and there were hums of agreement. “It feels like it was just a week ago we were here.”

Clarke looks around the table, she sees soft smiles and nods of agreement. She wishes she was a part of this for as long as they have been – she wishes after tomorrow ends…it’ll _all_ didn’t end.

“And Octavia hung out mistletoe all over the house,” Jasper laughed as he reached out to gather the salad onto his plate, “That was one good kiss wasn’t it, Mont?”

Monty rolled his eyes but she saw the redness at the base of his neck.

“That’s how we finally got these two together,” Raven filled her in from her spot opposite her, she nodded towards Monty (who still looked embarrassed) and Nathan (who grinned), “As cliché as it was – it worked.”

“I should have done it this year too,” Octavia said as she winks over at her brother, “Because I have not seen one kiss between you two.”

Clarke head snaps up to meet Bellamy’s gaze, he looks a mix of guilty and uncomfortable (another new look for him), “We’re not much for PDA.” She answers with a slight chuckle.

Octavia doesn’t seem to welcome that answer with a frown and she sees Bellamy roll his eyes, “Way to make it awkward, O.”

“I am not making it awkward!” Octavia exclaimed and Lincoln smiles to himself as he swings an arm over the back of her chair.

“She isn’t,” Finn agreed and her eyes dart to him along with everyone else in surprise, “I mean if she wanted to make it awkward she could have said you obviously didn’t mind PDA when it came to Echo or Roma or the other girls Octavia set you up with.”

The room fell silent, she could actually _feel_ the tension. Octavia elbowed Finn in the side to which he choked on the water he was sipping. Clarke pursed her lips as she looked up at Bellamy again only to see him glaring daggers at the boy.

“Uh-huh…well I guess that would make it kind of awkward.” She joked to which a few others chuckled quietly.

Bellamy turned his attention back to her and she narrowed her eyes at him when everyone carried on their own conversation, “I thought you said it was always a disaster when Octavia set you up.”

He shook his head, moving closer so his mouth was close to her ear, “It’s not like that.”

She chose to ignore the way his tone sounded pleading and instead focused on her meal. She was grateful for the fact that Murphy had asked Bellamy about the bar because the concerned looks he was giving her throughout dinner was getting on her nerves. When Nathan started in about how he was thinking of starting his own company, Bellamy was still occupied in discussion. Clarke reached out under the table to let her hand rest on his knee, she felt him tense under her touch and she smirked to herself. Not even glancing at him when she knew he was looking at her.

He put in a few comments to where Nathan should begin before she let her hand crawl up, he stilled it with his own when she reached his upper thigh.

He dipped his head low, “What the hell are you doing?”

She shrugged innocently, “Being a touchy girlfriend.”

He paused for a moment, “They can’t even see what you’re doing.”

“No,” she whispered in return. “But they can see you blushing.”

Bellamy’s eyes widened, “I am not blushing.”

She only smiled and squeezed his thigh causing him to bite down on his lip after a hollow breath escaped him. He’d regret underestimating her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter! Don't be shy to tell me what you'd like to see with the upcoming chapters.


	7. Back at It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update! Time just got away from me and I wasn't really sure how I wanted this to play out. I hope you enjoy!

Bellamy never thought he’d see the day where he actually had to pull a female’s hand away from him (specifically if that hand belonged to Clarke Griffin) but he really had no choice. The small blonde was showing no mercy as she let her fingers trace the side of his jeans or how she deliberately bit down on her lip when he glanced at her. It was driving him crazy but he also knew that he deserved it. He just hoped that nobody around the table could register what was really happening between them. When dinner is over, Clarke is first to volunteer to help (of course) and when he waits around in the living room for her to finish up but after about fifteen minutes of just pacing the floor, receiving a few concerned glances from his friends in the process, he moves into the kitchen. She, Harper, Monroe, Lincoln, and Octavia are passing down the plates, exchanging a few laughs and smiles.

He walks up behind her and softly asks, “Can I talk to you?”

She turns her head, “About?”

In reply Bellamy just gives her a look which reads – _you know what_. She seems to contemplate it for a few seconds before saying something to Monroe who smiles and nods as she takes the plate from her. He places his hand on the small of her back as he guides them out but she moves away from his touch and walks silently into their room.

“What I said earlier – I didn’t mean it,” he rushes the words out before he could take them back.

Clarke quirks a brow and crosses her arms, “Really?”

“I was being a dick.”

She barks out a laugh, “Nothing new there.”

He narrows his eyes at her, he was doing his best of an apology and she was making it all the more difficult, “I don’t usually open up to people.”

That seems to take her by surprise and keeps her quiet. She eyes him warily and sits at the edge of their bed. He takes that as a signal to continue.

“I know that’s not an excuse,” he says, casting her a look where she remained quiet, watching the way he patrolled the floor before her, “But I guess I got scared…I was letting someone other than Octavia see me so…”

“Vulnerable?”

He stops suddenly with his eyes to the floor.

“That’s not something to be ashamed of, Bellamy,” her voice is soft and calm, “It’s –,”

“Showing weakness,” he tells her and allows himself to meet her gaze. She presses her lips together, her fingers fidgeting in her lap. “And if you really knew me, you’d know that’s not something I’d like to show.”

Clarke gives up sitting still as she jumps to her feet with a shake of her head, “It’s not weakness. It’s human,” in return to her words he only rolls his eyes with a shake of her head, “Bellamy, look at me.”

Of course he doesn’t. Instead focuses on something over her shoulder.

She grabs his jaw between her thumb and pointer finger and angles his face towards her, “You have gone through a lot. A lot more than anyone I have ever known,” she says slowly and avidly, “You are allowed to be vulnerable – it’s _not_ weakness. It’s impossible to be strong _all_ the time.”

She releases her hold on him but he continues to stare down at her, there’s a flash of something in his eyes. Respect maybe? She can’t pinpoint it since it’s gone as quick as it came. They fall into silence after that but it only lasts a few seconds.

“So are you done torturing me now, princess?”

When the corner of her lips turn upwards he feels relief wash over him. She slowly circles around him with her head tilting to the side feigning innocence.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she bends down to grab her pajamas from her suitcase with his eyes watching her every movement.

“You don’t, huh?” he crosses his arms over his broad chest as she slowly walks backwards towards the door of their bathroom, “You didn’t know exactly what you were doing to me with your hands running up and down my thigh?”

Her tongue darts out to wet her lips under his heated scrutiny, “Maybe,” she hums as her back presses against the wall once he saunters towards her, “Maybe not.”

“Now you know I can’t let you get away with that,” his voice is low, husky, as he barricades her between his arms _again_. (She notice’s how his shirt stretches tightly against his biceps). She can actually feel the heat emanating from him but she stays impassive, she knew exactly what he was doing. Trying to give her a taste of her own medicine – it was not working. Not at all. (Maybe just a little.)

“Really?” she steps up on her toes so that their faces were leveled, “What are you going to do?”

Bellamy didn’t know how many more surprises he could take from this girl. With their faces so close together, he could feel the warmth of her breath on his cheeks, or how fucking blue her eyes are, or how if he just moved a little closer he could feel her lips against his own. He snaps himself out of his daze, there’s no doubt that she realized he was staring at her mouth but neither of them move. Kissing Clarke was dangerous.

He was well aware that she was going far in life, she had dreams to follow, and she wasn’t going to stick around The Ark forever. He’s heard enough snippets of her stories regarding finishing school, starting her residency, and following in her mother’s footsteps but she was doing it on her own. No help from her parents and God damn if she wasn’t the most stubborn and independent woman he’s ever known. He had come to the conclusion that she was too good for him a long time ago.

“Let’s get some sleep,” he says quietly causing her eyebrows to crease when he drops his arms. Bellamy didn’t want her thinking he was closing off on her again so he smiles softly, “Christmas Day is a pretty big deal to Octavia.”

“Just Octavia?” she teases and his smile stretches to a grin.

“Shut up,” he laughs when she shoots him a playful wink before disappearing into the bathroom. He slowly removes his shirt and jeans before sliding into bed.

It’s only a minute or two later when Clarke remerges with her hair tied up into a bun with a pair of sweats and a tank top. She offers him another one of her smiles before crawling into her spot beside him. She rests on her side, facing him as he turns off the lamp that’s perched on the nightstand.

“Night, Clarke.” She hears him whisper in the darkness.

“Good night, Bell.”

She can’t see the shock on his face at the use of his nickname from her mouth or feel the way his heart hammered in his chest or how a small appreciative smile makes his way to his lips.

-

Bellamy slowly drifts away from sleep, his eyes fluttering open as streams of light passes through the curtains. It’s not until he’s fully alert that he can feel the numbness of his forearm. He glances beside him, a still sleeping Clarke, and his arm wound around her. His fingers grazing the skin of her hip from where her shirt had ridden up. He can feel his mouth going dry as he tries to think of how they ended up in this position. He can hear the sound of shuffling feet outside the door and he prays that his sister doesn’t coming running in again but when it passes and instead he hears the deep chuckle belonging to Nathan and a ‘shh’ that follows from Monty, he relaxes. He wanted to spend a few more seconds just watching her sleep, her body curled up against his arm but apparently the universe wasn’t a fan of his today because when he looks back down, she’s awake.

“Now who’s creepy?” her voice sounds almost like a purr since half of her is still clinging to sleep.

Bellamy raises his eyebrows, “What?”

“You were staring,” she states as she sits up, if she notices his hands (which she had to of) she doesn’t comment, “Merry Christmas.”

He straightens up as the corner of his lips turn upwards, “Merry Christmas.”

 She rolls her neck a couple times to work out the kinks as he gets dressed. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”

He glances over his shoulder as he pulls on a sweater, “Are you announcing that as a hint for me to join you?”

She rolls her eyes good naturally, glad they were back to their usual more comfortable ways, “You wish.”

“Every night,” he replies causing her to laugh, “I’ll make you some breakfast.”

“How kind,” she mockingly swoons before a genuine smile takes over her face, “Thank you.”

He nods as he circles the edge of the bed to tap the bottom of her chin with his finger, “Anything for the princess.”

-

Clarke combs through her wet hair as she throws on a pair of jeans and a cardigan, Bellamy had told her over the phone that on Christmas night they got dressed up for dinner. He ridiculed it and said it was stupid but she could hear the actual affection in his tone. It was tradition after all and she could conclude that the Blake’s weren’t too fond of shying away from tradition. She just hoped her dress she brought was nice enough.

She could hear cheerful voices when she slipped out the door and towards the kitchen. The smell of pancake batter wafting down the hallway and becoming stronger with every step. When she rounded the corner she could see that almost everyone was awake. Monty and Nathan were hovered close together at the counter and Lincoln and Raven were discussing something near the fire, Jasper was laughing loudly at something Finn or Harper said and the snow could be seen falling outside the sliding doors. For the first time in a long time – it felt like Christmas for her.

“Octavia, I swear to God,” Bellamy shouts as she stole another pancake from the plate he had pushed off to the side.

“Oh, relax, big brother,” she grins, “Clarke won’t mind, will you Clarke?”

Bellamy turns her head, only now noticing her arrival.

“Of course not,” she walks over to the pair and wraps her arms around his waist from the back, she’s slightly surprised that he doesn’t tense under her touch this time, “Bellamy will just make me more, right?”

She can see him roll his eyes with a heaving but joking sigh, “Well of course.”

Clarke smirks as she steps up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. Before she can fully pull away though, his fingers circle around her wrist and he tugs her in front of him, her back pressing against the marble island.

“Way to make me look whipped in front of my sister,” he ducks his head so that his breath ghosts over her collarbone.

She does her best to suppress her smile but fails miserably when he meets her gaze again. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Stop doing that!”

She laughs because she knows playing dumb was slowly driving him mad, “Or what?” she challenges and she swears for a quick second his eyes darken.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Clarke.”

She only grins in response as she hops up onto the counter, his body between her dangling legs. She sees from the corner of her eyes Octavia looking over at them, a glee filled smile on her lips, which is entirely the _only_ reason she wraps her arms around his neck to bring him closer. He doesn’t stop her, instead he just rests the palms of his hands on her thighs.

“You know,” she begins, “I’m not really sure I’m ready to leave tomorrow.”

He swallows thickly and nods his head, absentmindedly rubbing circles above her knee, “Me either.”

“At least you get to come back.”

His head snaps up at her words, “You can come back too,” he tells her, “They fucking love you.”

Something like a sigh and a laugh escape her, “I don’t know,” she hums, “I mean you’re going to have to pretend that _you’re_ in love with me after being together for a whole year.”

“I think I can handle it.”

Her heart beats a little harder as his chest touches hers, his forehead resting against hers. She doesn’t know if she’s reading too much into his look. Maybe he really was just a good actor. Maybe she should ignore the way she feels lately when he’s around her, touching, talking, smiling.

“Okay, love birds, break it up,” Raven saunters towards them. “You’re making the rest of us sick.”

They pull away, Bellamy rolling his eyes and Clarke looking sheepish.

“Nice necklace,” Clarke notices the new piece of jewelry hanging around her neck. It has a bird chained to it – a Raven. Now it’s Raven who gets the shy look in her eyes.

She touches it as if she forgot she was wearing it in the first place, “It’s from Finn.”

She doesn’t miss the questionable eyebrow raise from Bellamy.

“Shut up.” She mumbles as she passes them, grabbing an apple from behind Clarke.

“I know,” Octavia says with a shake of her head, “I will never get those two.”

Clarke looks between the siblings as they silently watch Raven as she walks towards Finn.

“Anyways,” the brunette claps her hands together, “Did you like the gifts?”

Bellamy and Clarke glance at her before each other. She wanted to forget all about her “gift” that was pretty much forced upon her but she was still curious about what Bellamy had bought her.

“Oops…” Octavia backs away, guilty expression intact before turning her back to them.

“My sister has a big mouth,” He comments as she jumps back down to the floor. “Wait did she say gifts? As in plural?”

He casts his attention back to her, noting the crimson color coating her cheeks. It causes him to smirk, arms crossing, “You got me a gift?”

She points an accusing finger at him, “You got me one first!”

His chuckle is throaty and deep and he bites his lip to stop himself when she glares. “I’m sorry,” he holds his hands up in surrender, “What did you get me?”

“What did you get _me_?”

He doesn’t answer instead just beckons his head sideways towards the hall and she follows close behind. When they’re back in their room, he goes straight for his suitcase as she leans against the wall beside it. He’s digs through for a few seconds before retrieving it. It’s covered in red wrapping paper and she raises an eyebrow once she has it in her hands. He just nods for her to open it, a nervous feeling settling into the pit of his stomach.

She rips at the paper quickly, kneeling down in front of him and soon a wooden box is revealed. She glances up at him, he licks his lips as then she gradually opens it up. She gasps when her fingers brush over the colored pencils, erasers, brushes, and oil pastels.

“Bellamy,” she whispers, “These sets are expensive I can’t – I –,”

“Do you like it?”

She exhales loudly, “I love it. Thank you.”

“I thought you would,” he smiles.

She closes the box and suddenly she’s in his arms. Hugging him tightly. He’s shocked for a moment before his arms wind around her waist. He can feel her nose against the side of his neck as she murmurs another thank you.

“So…” he drawls out when she pulls back, he lets his fingers linger on her waist before standing, “Now it’s my turn.”

“Okay to be fair,” she’s reluctant to get up but she does, “You didn’t give me enough time to buy you anything.”

He waves his hand dismissingly, “Yeah, yeah, where is it?” he searches around the room for a hiding spot.

She sighs as she moves towards the drawer and quickly grabs the very pink bag from inside and hides it behind her back, “One more thing –,”

He doesn’t let her finish before he snatches it from behind her causing her to yell in protest. He smirks when he reads the front of the bag, “Victoria’s secret, huh?”

She doesn’t say anything as he slips his hand inside and removes the undergarment from the bag. He eyes it with interest, the smirk never leaving his lips as he holds it out. Clarke just wished that the ground would open up and swallow her whole at that moment.

“So you’re my present?”

Her face heats up, “It was your sister’s idea.”

 Bellamy closes his eyes and groans, “Please don’t mention my _sister_ and ruin this.”

“Ruin what?”

“Me picturing you wearing this little slip.”

Her eyes widen, “Bellamy!”

“What?” he laughs as he comes closer, “I’m a guy, Clarke. What did you think would happen when you gave me this?”

She shrugs helplessly, “I don’t know – maybe laugh?”

There’s no mistaking the blackening of his orbs this time, “Sorry, princess but now you’re responsible for a new fantasy of mine.”

She doesn’t know how to respond, her eyes are still broadened and her breathing has quickened as he places the lingerie down onto the dresser. He winks as he walks past her and she stands there in their room alone trying to regain control of her breathing in thoughts. Nobody confused her more than that man and she’ll be damned that if she didn’t get to the bottom of _them_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell the truth, was it too fluffy? I feel like it might have been. Not my greatest work but I didn't want to go SO long without updating but I hope I didn't disappoint any of you! I appreciate all of your comments and kudos :)


	8. Christmas Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say again that you guys are UNBELIEVABLE! I never thought when I started this story that I'd get so much feedback in return. When I had mapped it out in y head I figured it wouldn't progress past five chapters and now I'm posting the 8th! Thank you so much for all your comments/kudos :)

Almost as soon as Clarke steps back out into the hallway, music starts to blast from the living room. The sudden noise causes her to flinch in surprise before she’s moving down the hall to scope out the scene. Jasper cranks up the stereo some more and the lyrics to _Shut up and Dance_ fill the room, energizing everyone around. Doing exactly what the song instructs, Monty twirling Octavia around, Raven sliding in between Harper and Nathan, Murphy fist pumping off beat causing Monroe to double over in a fit of giggles. Her gaze land on Bellamy soon after, his eyes wild with amusement as he watches from his spot on the couch. She shakes her head with a hint of a smile as she walks closer, she touches his arm from where she rounds the back of the couch and he smiles up at her (and her heart does that annoying hammering thing) before she lands in his lap. Her arm curling around his neck as her legs stretch out onto the rest of the couch. His hand comes out immediately rest on her hip as if this was something they did often.

“They don’t sit still for long, do they?” she questions, leaning in just slightly so he can hear her over the music.

He looks out towards his friends with a laugh, “No they do not.”

“Hmm,” she hums as she throws her legs off the couch to stand, extending her hand, “Might as well join them.”

He angles his head to the side with an eyebrow raise before he places his hand in hers, she wraps both her hands around his one to hoist him up. He chuckles as she lets out a grunt when she realizes how much smaller she is compared to him and taking him off the couch was actually a difficult task. He snakes an arm around her waist, her back against his chest and she lets herself become someone else. Someone like Octavia who’s shamelessly grinding against her boyfriend. She’s not used to being this “someone” but when Bellamy’s lips brush against her earlobe and she hears a soft groan escape his lips when she presses more firmly against him, she knows she can get used to it.

He holds her tighter as the song switches to something slightly less upbeat but still easy to dance to. Then he’s muttering something she can make out as “death of me” and she smirks to herself. Feeling a sense of triumph with this power over him. Bellamy may be the king of mixed signals, one moment whispering something alluring into her ear then shutting her out, then the whole almost kiss that she was pretty sure was about to happen last night before he pulled away, and now his grip on her was both gentle and strong and his breath against her neck was putting her into overdrive but she was enjoying every second of it.

Slowly their fingers intertwine and their paired hands stay on either side of her hips as they continue to move together, perfectly in sync. She lets out a mix of a startled but pleasured sigh when his teeth graze the side of her neck. She can feel the smug grin against her skin and she knows that he’s trying to regain his control. She takes a sweep around, hoping they’re not drawing unwanted attention but beside the wink Octavia sends her way, everyone seems to be lost in their own little dancing world.

She removes her hand from his and twists around to place her hands on his shoulders, her chest pushing up against his along with other parts of their anatomy. She gazes up at him through her lashes to see his eyes close for a second.

“ _Jesus_ , Clarke,” he mutters. She feels all the satisfaction she needs when she reaches her goal of darkening his eyes.

She wants to kiss him. The feeling is so strong it makes her dizzy. It’s not like it’s the first time she felt this way. Just last night she almost gave into the temptation and she wouldn’t admit it to him but she’s had a few glances at his mouth even way before he asked for this favor. She thinks about how their lips brushed when inhaling the smoke the other day. It only happened a few times and it was gentle. _Too_ gentle. She could barely feel anything at all – like kissing her grandmother. She shakes those thoughts away immediately. She wants more but with all the self-control she has, she resists.

He keeps staring at her though, mix of hunger and lust as their bodies press together. She looks away first, her eyes looking over his shoulder to see Monty and Jasper mixing drinks in the kitchen and she can’t help but laugh. It causes Bellamy to pull away from her with his eyebrows raised.

“What are you laughing about?”

She nods in the boys’ direction, “It’s not even eleven yet.”

Bellamy chuckles and shakes his head, his arms that were around her fall and instead he takes her hand into hers and drags her towards them, “You guys are borderline alcoholics.”

Jasper mocks a gasp, touching a hand to his chest, “We are not,” he says, “But after today, we’re not going to be able to do things like this. We can’t all be bartenders.”

Monty nods his head in agreement while Bellamy just smiles in amusement and pulls on Clarke’s hand so that she’s standing in front of him, his arms circling around the middle of her stomach making her body warm.

“It’s not as fun as it sounds,” Clarke informs them, “Especially after working a double shift and getting no tips.”

Bellamy purses his lips, wanting to add the cleanup duty also sucked but it only reminded him of their deal they made. He wants to think things have changed between them but it’s only been a few days. He could be way far off.

“It’s a good thing you won’t be sticking around then, huh?” his tone is calm and he’s glad that it’s not filled with the bitterness he feels when he starts to think too long about Clarke finding a better job, a better life, a better person to be around.

She’ll eventually be just another person who leaves him behind.

She twists in his arms, her face scrunched up in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

Monty and Jasper seem to pick up on the sudden change of mood and glance at each other before taking their tumbler and heading towards the rest of their friends.

“I know you want to go back to medical school,” he shrugs as he let’s go of his hold on her, “you’ll be starting your residency and obviously no time for The Ark.”

“So?” she questions.

“So nothing, I’m proud of you.”

Her head tilts, “You sound it.”

He feels another argument coming on and he wonders how he let himself get so wrapped up in this girl.

“I am proud of you, Clarke,” he declares sincerely, “You deserve better than a shitty bartending job.”

“I love my job, _you_ love your job.”

He sighs and softens his voice, “I love my job because I’m not qualified for anything better.”

Clarke feels her heart plummet, she’s noticed his insecurities before but usually he would just joke around it, now it was full on exposure he was showing right after admitting he hating doing so.

“That’s not true,” she responds equally as quiet, “How do you not see it?”

His eyebrows pull in, a pained expression across his face, “What are you talking about?”

“You can be anything, Bellamy. You have the determination that I envy, you’re able to compel almost anyone into anything, and you’re smart as hell,” she points a finger at him when he opens his mouth to disagree, “Don’t deny it. I’ve seen your history novels and the way you talk about it with some of the other guys.”

“Doesn’t mean anything.”

She places her hand onto his chest, over his rapid beating heart, “It means everything.”

It’s silent between them and she’s pretty sure he can see right through her at the moment. His eyes stare down into her own and she doesn’t remove her hand. She feels herself drifting closer to him, her body reacting before her mind, the heels of her feet arching up so she’s resting on her toes. Clarke is pretty sure he’s leaning in too when –

“Are the lovebirds all good?” Jasper swings his arms over the pair’s shoulders and crushes Clarke to his side where Bellamy just pulls away. She can smell the alcohol radiating off him.

“Yep,” Clarke smiles and Bellamy notes that it seems tense.

He was mentally kicking himself. He had just told himself that he wouldn’t get compelled by her again. He wouldn’t lose himself in the goodness that was Clarke Griffin because that wasn’t him. It wasn’t. Right? Who the fuck was he trying to kid? He’s been wanting to kiss her for as long as he could remember.

Even when they were at each other’s throats, he’d blank on the fact that he hated her and only thought about how good it would feel to push her up against the bar, lay her across the table, and make her beg for him. Now though it was more than just the thought of her. It was just her body then, he could just blame it on natural hormones.

Now, he wanted _her_. All of her. He wanted to hear her laugh when he said something funny, he wanted to see her beam at him when he mentioned something he remembered her saying, he wanted her to see something in him even though he was nothing compared to her.

Jasper’s arm dropped to his side as he brought the drink back to his lips, “I’m glad you got yourself a good one, Bellamy.” The boy pats him on the shoulder and he can see Clarke smiling down at the ground with a hint of pink on her cheeks.

“Me too,” he agrees as Jasper leaves them alone once again.

Clarke picks her head back up slowly and he walks closer to her, “I told you, you’re a good one.”

She digs her teeth into her lower lip, “No, you told me that I was a goody good, that’s different. That’s offensive.”

“Offensive?” he chuckles before signaling towards the empty stools at the counter, “If it makes you feel better, I don’t think of you as a goody good anymore.”

She raises her eyebrows at him as she takes her seat and he goes for his plate of pancakes to warm up, “Oh, you don’t, do you?”

He glances behind him with a smirk, “You’re actually extremely evil, Griffin. I underestimated you.”

She wears a proud grin with a shrug as he hands over the breakfast he had made her before they got distracted with Octavia announcing the fact that they each had gotten each other gifts, “Something nobody should ever do.”

She points the fork at him to make her point and he laughs before folding his arms over the marble. He’s standing on the other side of the counter as he watches her take her first bite, her eyes falling close briefly and her tongue darting out after she swallows. There’s a soft ‘mmm’ that escapes her lips and now he’s the one who’s proud.

“Forget the bar,” she tells him as she digs into the pancakes again, “I can see chef as your future career.”

“Give me a bite.”

She shakes her head with a frown, “Nuh-uh, you can make these yourself anytime you want. I need to enjoy them.”

“Don’t be greedy, I’m the one who made them for you.”

She looks at him for a moment before sighing, “Fine,” she cuts up a small piece and leans over the counter. She watches as he keeps his eyes locked on hers as his head moves closer, his mouth opening and his teeth clamping down against the metal before pulling back.

(She’s not turned on. That would be weird.)

She knows she’s lying to herself when she feeds him another piece.

It’s not until lunch time that her heart beat goes back to normal again.

-

Dinner rolls around quickly, after the gang hangs out after lunch for a while, filling Clarke in on a few more stories, cracking jokes, and a phone call from her parents, Octavia tells them that’s only thirty minutes until the food is ready and Clarke can feel her stomach rumbling with the delicious smell escaping the kitchen. She’s first to go into their bedroom, grabbing her things and moving into the bathroom to change. She can hear Bellamy enter only shortly after and the sound of him rummaging through his bag for his own clothes. She zips up her dress before turning towards the mirror. It’s a teal color, scooped neck line, sleeveless, and reached a couple inches above her knee.

She ran her fingers through her thick hair, her curls bouncing back into place. Clare adds on some light make up, extenuating her stronger features with eyeliner and eye shadow before she takes a few deep breaths and reopens the door. When she does, she sees Bellamy standing at the corner of their room by the body length mirror with his back to her. He’s buttoning up his pale violet shirt, his sleeves pushed up over his elbows when she steps closer. As soon as her hair was visible in the mirror, he turned towards her, sticking his hands into his black slacks and she swears with his stance, exposed olive skin of his chest and how goddamn attractive he really is, he could bring her down with just a few words.

“Wow,” he breathes mimicking her same reaction, “You look good.”

She smiles in appreciation, “You look good too.”

Before they can put themselves in another staring match, she pivots away to grab her black flats to slip on. When she’s to facing him again, he’s still looking at her, the corner of his lips turned up.

“Ready, princess?”

She nods before he holds the door open for her. They take their usual seats and she gets a few compliments of her dress to which she happily returns with her own. Finn smiles at her from his side of table but it’s different from his previous ones he sent her, friendlier this time and she returns that as well. The dinner is already set out, a huge turkey in the middle, potatoes of all kinds (mashed, baked, and sweetened), roasted prime ribs, two bowls of salads, and creamed spinach. Lincoln was right when he had told her they went all out.

Octavia is the last to take her spot, her hand resting on Lincolns shoulder, “I just wanted to say that I’m glad all of you could make it here again, it’s not Christmas without you guys,” Clarke looks around to see the soft smiles on all their faces and her heart warms, Octavia raises her cup, “And Clarke, I know it’s only been a few days but I can’t see next Christmas being as great if you weren’t there,” at that there are hums of agreement and she feels Bellamy’s hand squeeze her knee and she’s suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. This tight knit group welcoming her in so freely and fully, she wouldn’t be surprised if she started to cry right then and there but she composes herself and instead only breathes out a watery laugh and a thankyou before Octavia continues, “Merry Christmas, you guys.”

Everyone raises their glasses and chorus, “Merry Christmas.”

Clarke happily joins everyone with taking a mass amount of food onto her plate. The air is light around her, happy and joyful, she still doesn’t want it to end but she’s glad she was able to experience something like this. She couldn’t be more grateful for the fact that Bellamy asked her for this favor. She doesn’t let her mind think about tomorrow morning, where they pack their things back into his truck and drive back to reality.

“I hope you guys have enough room for dessert,” Octavia grins to which everyone agrees they do. Clarke’s knows she can make room if dessert was anything like the dinner.

“Before we get to that,” Lincoln says, “I want to do something.”

He gains everyone’s attention at that as he pushes back in his seat to stand. There’s a repeat of gasps when he gets down on one knee in front of a very flushed and shocked Octavia. Clarke can feel her heart racing for the girl.

“Octavia Blake, you have made me the happiest man these last four years, your love for your family, friends, and life itself has made me seen the beauty in everything I never noticed before you,” he reaches out to take her hand in his, Clarke notices the way her eyes prick with tears as she bites down on her lip. Hell, Clarke has only experienced their love story for the past few days and she can feel her own eyes tear up (she blamed the fact that this group played havoc with her feelings). She looks up at Bellamy who’s smiling and she knows he had to already known about the proposal, “Will you not only make me the happiest but also the luckiest man on this earth and marry me?”

“Yes, yes!” she cries out happily as he takes the velvet box out of his pants and slips the diamond onto her finger, “Oh my God.”

She throws her arms around him and he laughs into her shoulder. The room erupts with claps and shouts while Octavia peppers his face with kisses. They’re all standing now and Clarke’s hand finds Bellamy’s. He glances down at her, the large smile still present and she shifts closer to him.

With everyone congratulating the couple and admiring the ring, Clarke asks quietly, “You knew all along didn’t you?”

“Of course I knew,” he answers, “Lincoln asked for my blessing weeks ago.”

“They’re so lucky to have found each other.” She says before releasing his hand and going over to offer her own congratulations.

Bellamy watches her go, “Yeah, they are.”

-

When dessert does finally make its way to the table after the rush of excitement turns into a buzz, Clarke is once again not disappointed with her options. A chocolate fountain is on display and she feels her mouth water at the sight. Nobody has claimed any seats, instead just marvel around the dining area, laughing and talking. She doesn’t spot Bellamy, Lincoln, or Octavia though so before she treats herself she heads towards the kitchen where a familiar voice could be heard.

“I can’t believe you knew all this time,” Octavia says as she swats at her brother’s arm, “And didn’t show a clue of anything – who knew you could be such a good actor?”

Clarke swallows hard from the spot hidden behind the wall; _she knew._

He shrugs, “I knew it was important.”

Lincoln smiles in gratitude as he brings his arm to circle around his fiancé, who again seems to have tears in her eyes as she says, “Thank you, Bell. It means so much to have your support.”

She can see the emotion behind his eyes as well, even from where she’s standing as he nods his head, “I love you, O. You’ll always have my support.”

She smiles as he presses a kiss to her forehead and clamps a hand over Lincolns shoulder.

“And one day you’ll be in a similar situation and you’ll have my support too,” the brunette wiggles her eyebrows, “I really do like her.”

Clarke feels her heart jump into her throat. She peeks another look towards them to see Bellamy shaking his head.

“Octavia, don’t start.”

“What?” she answers innocently looking up at Lincoln before returning her attention back to her brother, “I can see the way you two look at each other. She’s halfway in love with you.”

“No, she’s not,” he answers quickly, “We haven’t been dating that long.”

“But you’ve known each other for over a year, that’s long enough,” she answers, “Are you really going to try and tell me you don’t love her?”

Clarke knows it’s wrong that she’s eavesdropping on their conversation but she can’t get herself to walk away and she prays that none of them notice her every time she looks inside or that any other person from their group walks by and wonders what the hell she’s doing.

“You know I’m not good with this kind of thing,” he admits quietly, “I could love her but she deserves better than me.”

“Not this again,” Octavia admonishes before Clarke even has time to process her thoughts. She walks closer to her brother, “You’re good, Bell. How many times do I have to remind you?”

Clarke thinks about how wrong she was about Bellamy from the beginning. Thinking he was some smug stuck up jerk when in reality he thought so badly about himself.

“This is your night, Octavia. Let’s not talk about me,” he squeezes her cheeks mockingly, “My little girl is all grown up.”

She groans but the amusement is evident, “Stop it!”

Clarke decides to wait a few seconds before making her presence known, stepping into their line of vision with a bright smile. Octavia grins when she sees her and breaks away from the duo to wrap her arms around the blonde, taking her by surprise.

“I meant what I said before,” she whispers into her ear and from over her shoulder she can see Bellamy staring at them, probably wondering what his sister was saying, “Thank you for making my brother so happy.”

Clarke nibbles at her lip when she pulls away, “He makes me happy too.” And he did.

Octavia hugs her again, Clarke knows most of the affection is coming from the fact that she had just gotten engage so she embraces it, “Alright, I’m going to make sure the chocolate fountain is still working. Knowing Jasper is out there with it doesn’t put me at ease.”

Lincoln follows her out with a laugh and Clarke continues to stroll towards the dark haired man who’s now sipping on a drink he prepared himself.

“Please don’t tell me she was whispering about our future marriage,” he says when she’s standing in front of him, his eyes rolling but there’s a hint of a flush across his cheeks.

“Hmm, no,” she smiles and leans her back against the counter, “She just thanked me…she thinks I’m making you happy.”

He peers over at her, quirking a brow, “You don’t think so?”

Clarke’s momentarily stunned by his retort, “Do you?”

Bellamy takes another long sip before he places it behind him, “Yeah, I do,” he says as if it’s a confession, more to himself then to her, “You do make me happy, Clarke.”

Her eyes widen, “Really?”

“Really,” his eyes are pinned on her and she feels it’s hard to breathe normally. He steps closer, “I don’t want to play this game anymore.”

“Game? What –,”

Before she can continue, his hands reach out to cradle her face and his lips come crashing down to hers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this didn't seem rushed. Between school, bad internet, some personal/family things going on, I haven't been able to write that much so when I do, I write quickly. Sadly, this story is coming to an end. I either will write one or two more chapters (I know I said I only had 3 more to go like 5 chapters before) but now that Christmas night is coming to an end, it really has to be over. 
> 
> BUT I already have another AU idea planned out (I know, I think I need to stop) I don't know when I'll be posting it because I want to actually work out the details because for right now it's just an idea and I'm not sure if it'll actually make sense outside of my head. It'll be very different from this story and I hope you guys enjoy it :)


	9. Never thought we’d end up here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't expect to take this long to update and I'm sorry it took awhile! I kind of had the worst case of writers block and didn't know how to start/continue/end this at all but I managed to write it all out in the last two days. It was initially going to be two chapters but they'd both be extremely short so I just left it as one. AKA my last installment for this fic :(
> 
> I'm going to miss writing it and reading all your wonderful comments <3 I am though already starting to write my next fic (I'm not a hundred percent sure if I'll be posting it because my mind switches from plot to plot and I can't just settle on one) 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy :)

If this is how he wanted to end their “game” he should have terminated it a hell of a long time ago, Clarke thinks when his lips part and one of his hands trail from her cheek to the nape of his neck. He presses her up against the counter and all she can feel is him, his mouth moving in sync with her own, his chest against hers, his hands now below the bottom of her dress, grasping the back of her knees to hoist her up onto the surface. She gasps against his lips and she can feel his smug of a smile when he continues to kiss her and she knows it’s there because he managed to take her by another surprise. She doesn’t care though because _God she wanted this_.

Clarke pulls at the collar of his shirt, the fabric soft under her touch to bring him closer. His hands splay across the tops of her thigh and he removes his lips (much to her dismay) from hers before they come in contact with the side of her neck. She marvels at the touch of his hands on her, they’re rough and big, and she was halfway squirming when he slides them up and under her dress. She stifles a moan when he bites down by her collarbone and instead lets her fingers card through his dark set of hair. Her fingernails ranking at his scalp and she smiles in success when she elicits a groan from him. It’s a terrific sound, maybe one of her favorites, right next to his laugh.

“ _Bellamy_ ,” she breathes and she can feel his movements still.

“You’re killing me, princess,” he says when he pulls away to look at her – _really_ look at her.

He’s smiling and she feels her heart pounding for a whole new reason, “So you keep telling me.”

There’s a devilish glint in his eyes to match his smirk as he caresses the sides of her face again but before their lips can touch theirs an uncomfortable cough that sounds from the side. The pair turn their heads to see Monty looking sheepish and holding up a few glass plates.

“Octavia wanted me to put them in the sink…”

The sink to which is _right_ beside them and Clarke bites her lip and her cheeks flush from embarrassment, “Sorry, Monty.”

The boy shakes his head, “Nope, I’m sorry for…intruding.”

Bellamy chuckles and Clarke’s pretty sure if it was anyone else doing the interrupting he would have snapped at them. Instead he presses a kiss under her jaw, lingering for a few seconds, and then pulls away to take the plates from his hands.

“I got it.”

Monty gives them another guilt ridden smile before turning away. Bellamy all but throws the dishes into the sink (it’s a miracle they don’t break) before he’s back in front of her. Clarke keeps herself from giggling at his eagerness and instead puts her hand to rest on his chest, keeping him back. His eyebrows furrow in confusion only causing her to let the laughter spill from her lips.

“Do you really want to risk someone else walking in?” she questions.

“Like I give a fuck,” he responds, “Not when I’m kissing you.”

She feels herself getting reeled in again but she fights it off with a shake of her head, letting her hand slide up to his cheek, “Well I rather not get groped in front of your friends.”

He grins as he lowers her back to the floor, “But in private…”

She smacks his shoulder causing him to laugh. She gets a few steps before his fingers circle around her wrist and pivots her towards him again. His expression is more serious now than seconds ago.

“Wait, I – um,” he releases his hold on her, his eyes falling to the floor briefly and she can feel herself smiling at his obvious flustered state, “I don’t want this to be just a one time thing. We go back home, you start your schooling again, and –.”

She doesn’t give him time to finish, her lips cutting him off, he doesn’t seem to mind though because his arm wraps around her waist, hugging her to him. Clarke hates hearing the doubt in his voice, mostly about himself. She can now fully see past his whole ‘I feel like I’m the worst so I act like I’m the best’ demeanor.

“And I still want to see you every day, after work, after class…” she lists off with a smile.

His arms tighten around her, “Well don’t get too clingy.”

She knows he’s joking and she mocks a gasp, “You’re an ass.”

“You love me,” he replies in a sing-song voice that she can’t tell if she finds it endearing or annoying. Probably both.

“Please,” she scoffs sarcastically as she moves towards the dining room, “Who lied to you?”

He hears his low growl, “Come here you,”

The sound that comes from her mouth is a mix of a shriek and a laugh as his arms circle around her waist and lifts her from the floor. She lets herself relax in his arms, for the first time her mind doesn’t overwhelm her with over analyzing his every action. _It’s because he wants to_ and the thought brings a smile to her face.

-

 “This has definitely been one of the best Christmas’s ever,” Octavia declares, her voice soft as she runs her hand up Lincoln’s arm.

“Well _duh_ , you got engaged,” Harper points out causing the rest to laugh.

Clarke smiles to herself, they’re settled in the living room and it’s almost close to midnight. She was sat on the floor between Bellamy’s outstretched legs. She rested against his chest and his arms twisted around her middle.

Octavia holds out her hand to admire the ring again, “That I did,” she says with a hint of amusement, “But really – it was nice. No fights, nobody ended up in the ER, I got to see my brother happy.”

Clarke’s heartbeat picks up when the attention is on them again, she feels Bellamy’s lips against her hair before he speaks, “I’m happy when I’m here.”

“Yeah but this is a different kind of happy,” O concludes, her eyes finding Clarke’s and she smiles, it’s slow and gentle and it makes Clarke all the more content in that moment.

“Yeah,” Bellamy mumbles after she yells for Jasper to grab her something from the kitchen, “I guess so.”

-

They finally bid goodnight somewhere around two a.m. Clarke laces their fingers together as they walk down the familiar hall to their room. At the gesture, Bellamy glances over his shoulder with a smile and pulling her forward. Before they can even reach the door, his lips are on hers, just as hungry and wild as before. Her arms come up to curl around his neck as her back collides with the wall right outside their room.

“Monty and Miller are probably asleep,” she says against his mouth referring to the only other room next to them while the others are on separate floors.

“ _Asleep_?” Bellamy snorts, his forehead coming down to rest against hers.

The blonde lets out a sigh of a laugh, her fingers running through the ends of his hair, and Bellamy can see the slight anxiousness behind her eyes.

“Hey,” his hand moves to her cheek, “You okay?”

She pauses before saying, “Let’s take this slow.”

Everything in her life has been fast paced and overwhelming. She wanted to enjoy every little thing about her and Bellamy.

“Whatever you want, princess.” His voice is like a whisper as he tucks the loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

She leans up on her toes to kiss him again. This time they take their time, it’s slow, gentle, and fulfilling. When they get dressed for bed, Clarke smirks when she hears him mutter “ _ugh, fuck_ ,” under his breath when she slips out of her dress to see she was wearing the lingerie.

-

Octavia embraces Clarke after she says her goodbyes to the rest of the gang, getting each of their numbers, Jasper and Raven insisting they needed to personalize their own contacts. Adding very interesting emoji’s to the end of their nicknames.

“Talk soon, okay?” the brunette says as she squeezes her arm before she pulls away.

Clarke nods, “Talk always.”

Then she’s shuffling over to hug Lincoln who tells her that he’s glad that she enjoyed her time (oh he had no idea) and Bellamy lifts his sister up in his arms. Both Lincoln and Octavia stand in the doorway as they wave goodbye to their friends.

Clarke doesn’t allow herself to stop smiling throughout the trip back.

-

-

-

Clarke scribbles something down at the end of her sheet before bursting out of her seat and out the door. She pulls her bag over her shoulder and rushes towards the exit. She ignores the odd stares getting shot at her and moves through the exit. She’s immediately met with cold air and the chilling winds make her hair fly backwards as she searches for the familiar car.

She finds it only seconds later with a man attached to it. His hip against the tailgate, his leather jacket (that most likely wasn’t doing anything to shield him from the frigid weather) on, and a grin plastered across his face when he finds her eyes. She breaks out into a run and he kicks off the truck to open up his arms for her to jump into. He laughs when her legs wrap around his waist and arms lock around his neck to hold him close.

“Miss me, princess?”

She kisses him as a reply, “Yes, I hate this place.”

He chuckles again, deeply and it rumbles against her chest, “No, you don’t,” he responds and he’s right. She was enjoying her schooling – it was only five hours away from home but with dorming, excessive studying, and Bellamy’s schedule at The Ark they didn’t get to see each other as much as they liked (which was preferably for them: daily. So they instead settled on every couple days and always on weekends).

“I guess not,” she huffs out as her feet find the ground but she keeps her arms around him and he does the same, “But I’m so ready to get out of here.”

Bellamy smiles as he opens up the passenger door for her to slip in before joining her on the other side.

“You do know that my sister isn’t going to shut up about the wedding _again_ ,” he turns the key into the ignition and even though he groans she can hear the affection laced in his tone, “Especially after our trip where you pointed out all the different flowers and monumental stuff that she now claims she just _needs_ at their wedding.”

Clarke grins at his words, over the summer, all their friends (yes, she officially thought of them as her friends now too) packed up and road tripped down to the Central Coast of California. She had the pictures all framed up on her wall and even Lexa and Wells were able to join them.

“Please, as if you weren’t all but drooling when I joked about wearing the goddess themed dress,” she tells him and he glances over at her.

“Joked?” he shakes his head, “You better not be joking about that dress.”

She only smirks and keeps the secret that she already purchased it the day before they left. Keeping it safe with Octavia. It was simple, elegant, and hugged her body perfectly. Both Raven and Lexa threatened her with bodily harm if she didn’t get it.

“You’re such a nerd,” she teases as her hand finds his on his lap.

He shrugs because he knows it’s the truth, she’s witnessed his fair share of “geeking out” as she liked to call it. Especially since he also returned to school. It was a community college but he was working on his credits little by little and every time they spoke, over the phone or in person, Clarke would tell him that she’s proud of him and it gave him all the more faith in himself he thought he’d never have.

They remain silent for a while, hands interlocked, the radio playing softly as she hums along. He catches her eye every now and then and the corners of her lips would turn up as his thumb traced her knuckles.

“What are you smiling about?” He questions, the amusement clear in his voice when he looks over at her.

“Just thinking about how this all started,” she answers, “Never thought we’d end up here.”

He hums in agreement, squeezing her hand for good measure.

“So, princess,” he drawls out, eyes on the road as she looks up at him, “Do anyone a favor lately?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was writing this I was just thinking "I don't even care how much fluff this is, this is who I am." I mean it was cheesy all the way through the end but I'm okay with it and I hope I didn't disappoint any of you wonderful readers. 
> 
> You can follow me on tumblr: bellamysclarks :)
> 
> Thank you again for reading!! It's hard saying goodbye (for NOW).


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